


Fairy Law (#1)

by eburneanteen



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Multi, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, fairy tail - Freeform, oneshots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 20:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17494568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eburneanteen/pseuds/eburneanteen
Summary: In the town of Magnolia, just past Kardia Cathedral, resided a wizard guild named Fairy Tail. This guild was full of wizards who were legends, and mages who were on their way to becoming legends. These are their fairy tales.(In other words, a Fairy Tail one-shot collection.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Welcome!**

 

**These are just collections of Fairy Tail oneshots. Most of these are fluffy, humorous, and romantic. Some include hurt and comfort. And of course, can’t forget the angst that’ll tear your heart out.**

 

**In spite of that, please enjoy the stories!**

 

 


	2. A Not-So Typical Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whereas our story finally begins.
> 
> Pairings — Natsu/Lucy, Juvia/Gray, Erza/Jellal, Gajeel/Levy, Mirajane/Laxus
> 
> Tags — Humor, Fluff
> 
> Setting — Few days after manga events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I present to you, the beginning!

In the town of Magnolia, just at the edge of their territory, past the Kardia Cathedral, resided the guild that was known as Fairy Tail. More specifically, the strongest, most reckless, quite fearsome, very persistent, and the most unpredictable wizard guild to ever grace the continent of Fiore.

Don’t get me wrong, that guild can also be one of the most loyal of allies one can ever hope to have.

Anyone who passed by the guild could feel the tremors of the ground from the mere clatter of their daily brawl, hear the incoherent chatter, taste the barmaid’s incredible cooking, see the different mages walking through the door, and more importantly, practically smell the destruction that was about to come.

But nobody who ever set foot in the guild hall truly knew the horrors of Fairy Tail.

A typical day for the Fairy Tail wizards entailed many, many brawls that either ended as quickly as it started or ended until the Master had a thousand Jewels or more ripped right out of his pocket.

And there Makarov sat, in his usual spot in the bar counter, as he watched the chaos wrecking every corner of his guild hall. His soul practically left his body by now, leaving a ghastly pale old man in it’s absence.

“We’re gonna–we’re gonna rebuild again, aren’t we?” Makarov choked out as he watched the plethora of chairs flying from each side of the room, tables being upturned and tossed, and walls having cracks after some wizard has been roughly tossed to the side. He prayed dearly to the First Master that he’d live through this. But the thought of the amount of Jewels that would cost him today struck him painfully through the heart.

But luckily, he still had some angels left in the guild. An angel that took form of a blue-eyed demon. Truly, what an astounding guild.

“It’ll be alright, Master,” Mirajane came up to him, sporting a sickly large bump on her head, and smiled ever so sweetly. Her dark blue eyes glittered with happiness despite the commotion behind her.

The endearing smile never left Mirajane’s face as she glanced at what was left of the guild hall. She sighed contently as she leaned on the counter, supporting her head with her palms. “It’s good to be home. I wish we could stay this happy forever. We all deserve a break. Don’t you think, Master?”

Makarov nodded subtly, his arms crossed and eyes closed. “I suppose so.” Then he slammed his fist on the surface, leaving a large dent, he stood up straightly, “But it doesn’t mean the brats should tear the guild to pieces!”

“Tch.”

The brooding interjection came from Laxus who had been bobbing along to the rhythm of his music without a care to his surroundings, his fist was glowing brightly, a clear indicator that he would join the fight. He turned to Mirajane with a devilish smirk, showing off his sparking hand—not to mention the bulging muscles that tensed under the tight shirt of his.

“Want me to take care of them for you, Mira?” Laxus teased.

Mirajane immediately whacked him on the head. She put one hand on her hip as she furiously glared at him—at certain times like this, she didn’t even need her Demon Soul—and jabbed an accusatory finger at his chest.

“Don’t you dare, Laxus!” Mirajane exclaimed, a dark and cold aura emanating from all around her. “If you were to do that, you’d wipe out everybody in the guild!”

Laxus chuckled, lowering his fists as a sign of submission. “Are you saying I’m strong?”

“No!” Within a split second, Mirajane managed to slap the back of his head yet again. “I meant that you have no control on your impulses!”

“I’ll show you how much impulse control I have tonight,” Laxus’s dark eyes glinted with danger. His large arm wrapped around her tiny waist, gradually drawing her closer until he dipped down in the crook of her neck. His nose trailed along her neck until the outline of her jaw. Laxus smirk grew arrogantly as he lightly bit the shell of her ear. “ _Mirajane_.”

Mira blinked a few times, laying her hands on his chest—definitely not feeling the muscles underneath—since her legs were so wobbly from the intimacy. After getting her woozy head from the clouds and realizing what had just happened, she wriggled her way out his grip, staggering a few steps back.

“Laxus!” Mirajane shrieked in shock. Her hands were balled into fists, ready to unleash an attack. She couldn’t believe what actually had just happened. Stupid Laxus, she thought.

Laxus only chuckled at her frantic state. Yes, he did anticipate an attack from the She-Demon, but he was positively sure that he’d be able to take whatever she threw at him. He saw eyed her small fists, and expected a flurry of pretend punches. But as he turned his gaze away, he should have realized that doing anything half-assed was not Mirajane’s favorite thing to do.

Because Laxus underestimated Mirajane, he totally didn’t predict that he’d be graced with the presence of the demon Mirajane Sitri.

And that was how Laxus was sent flying across the room. Everyone stared in shock with their mouth agape as the wizard shot across the room. And perhaps it was the surprise of it all that they didn’t realize who was he was going to crash into.

That person, who unfortunately took the brunt of his weight, was none other than the wizard who had less luck that she claimed to have, Lucy Heartfilia.

“ _Kya_!”

Lucy yelped out loud when Laxus slammed into her side, sending her off the barstool and flat onto the floor with Laxus beside her. Both blondes were incapacitated on the ground, though Laxus was already sitting upright after a matter of a few seconds. Lucy, on the other hand, didn’t look so good. After all, no normal human could withstand Laxus’s attacks, or literally himself in her case.

Laxus turned to the side and rolled his eyes at the sight that greeted him. He stood up, despite the pounding headache, and offered a hand to her. “Geez, blondie, you look horrible.”

Luckily, it was an overstatement. It was only her hair that got dragged into the mess. What once was a neat, high ponytail, now became loose from her elastic band suddenly snapping, resulting into Lucy’s yellow hair to fall down to her waist.

Nonetheless, Lucy accepted the hand, wincing once she tried to stand up. “Thank you. What did you do to Mira-san this time, Laxus?”

Laxus grunted, crossing his arms. “I don’t know with the She-Devil. She just attacked me when I stood there silently—”

“Laxus!”

Everyone knew that somebody would smack some sense into him—after all, Mirajane wouldn’t just attack someone unless heavily provoked—and they all expected it to be Mirajane. What they didn’t expect was Natsu interrupting him.

Natsu Dragneel stood a few metres from them, obviously taking a break from his one-on-one. His entire body erupted in flames so hot that some of the guild members began to complain. Natsu’s ebony eyes fixated on one thing.

Lucy.

“What the hell did you do?!” Natsu growled out. At times like this, he couldn’t control his emotions. The determination to protect his mate—excuse me, best friend—and mixed with the adrenaline of his precious fight both clouded his way of thinking.

Laxus, eyes dull of emotion, just shrugged. “Nothing.”

“ _Fire Dragon’s Claw!_ ”

And just as Natsu’s fist collided with Laxus’s face, he suddenly stopped.

He didn’t forego with his attack because somebody covered their fist over his own, their hand acting as a comforting blanket. Because he’d been so accustomed to the warm and gentle touch of this person he immediately calmed down. It was Lucy. And she was very mad.

Lucy had an eyebrow raised, her brown eyes no longer filled with sweetness and innocence, but irritation. “What do you think you’re doing, Natsu Dragneel?”

A split second later, Natsu swept Lucy off her feet and into his arms. He had one arm supporting the back of her legs and another arm cradling her head close to his chest. He completely forgot that Laxus was in front of him, and frankly, he didn’t care. But don’t fret, he’d get his well deserved fight sooner or later.

“ _Kyaa_! Natsu! Have you gone crazy?! Put me down! Natsu! What are you doing?!” Lucy cried out in panic.

He smirked at her, thinking that he had the upper hand now. Slowly leaning towards her, he replied ever so softly, “Carrying you, Lucy Heartfilia.”

Lucy couldn’t take everything much longer. His scent. His eyes. His voice. His warm, muscly, wide chest. His arms. Just everything about him. But she didn’t want him to see how much he had affected her—damn that Salamander.

She covered her eyes dramatically, a poor tactic but she was desperate, as she whispered, “Well, my back does hurt. . .”

Natsu nodded grimly before comically turning to his side. “Happy, translate.”

Happy then appeared, his majestic wings flying him up to Natsu’s height. He had a paw underneath his chin, eyes squinted as if he was thinking hard about something. Then suddenly he turned to Natsu, eyes gleaming with pride.

“Natsu!” The Exceed exclaimed joyously. “I think she means she wants to go home so that we can all have a delicious fish dinner!”

Natsu turned his piercing gaze back to the woman squirming in his arms, a devilish smirk gracing his lips. “Oh? Then I guess I gotta do what she wants!”

Lucy shook her hand in a frantic pace, panicking that they were already moving to the direction of the guild’s doors. “Natsu, put me down!”

Natsu paused in his steps. He clocked his head down a bit, eyebrows frowning. “What was that, Luce?”

“Oh!” Natsu lifted his head, beaming like a little child. “You want me to carry you all the way home? Alright, you naughty girl!”

“Natsu!”

Before the two couple—excuse me again, best friends—left the guild, a certain someone caught the attention of Natsu.

“Natsu, come and finish the fight, you bastard!”

Gray had both of his hands prepared to throw an attack. He gritted his teeth, still having lots of energy to spare. And he had no doubt that he would throw Lucy on the floor and come spar with him.

Unfortunately for him, he was met with a surprise.

For Natsu, there was no rivaling spending time with Lucy. He had plenty of time to beat Gray’s ass but now he just wanted to snuggle with Lucy in the most comfortable bed of all, her breas—bed.

“Goodbye, Ice Queen!” Natsu waved at him enthusiastically.

Out of impulse, Gray replied with a spell. “ _Ice Make: Lance!_ ”

Now the good news is that Natsu dodged the attack and was now headed down towards Lucy’s apartment.

The bad news was that Erza happened to pass by and took all of the impact.

Erza didn’t flinch when his attacks met her flesh. She just stood there, bored eyes and stiff posture. And when the spell finally ended, she turned to Gray with the darkest of glares.

“Gray Fullbuster,” Erza said menacingly. Her body was rigid, tremoring slightly from the fury welling up within her. “Better say your last words.”

The aforementioned Ice Mage trembled slightly. His eyes widened, fearing his best friend’s wrath. And before Gray could escape her fury successfully, he heard the most terrifying words known to mankind.

“ _Kanso_!”

There she was, Titania, clad in the glory of her Heaven’s Wheel Armor, with the number of swords at her back, awaiting her first command. Erza did not waver, clearly about to join the brawl in a second. With one step forward, Erza raised her sword, “Prepare to fall beneath my sword!”

Gray paled, already feeling lightheaded from his soul leaving him. Despite knowing that Erza would at least pull her attacks a little bit, Gray still wasn’t quite sure if she was being serious—but knowing her, he knew that he was about to get concussed.

Erza let out a battle cry. She was about to run into Gray, preparing for a swordfight when she was interrupted quite rudely.

“ _Kyaa_!”

Titania let out one of her rare shrieks of surprise. She felt herself being hoisted onto something high. Her hands landed on hard, thick muscle. It took her seconds before she fully realized.

“Jellal?!”

The cloaked wizard nodded gently, patting her bum softly, not really caring if she’d decapitate him later. “Yo.”

Erza’s armor began to fade, as well as the armor around her heart. She kept hitting Jellal’s—muscled—back whilst attempting to cover her face from her nosey guild mates. Damn it. Why was her heart beating so fast?

“Jellal, put me down this instant!” Erza commanded. Though the blush on her cheeks and the cracks in her voice made it harder to take her seriously.

Jellal only shook his head. He waved everyone inside the guild hall a respectful goodbye, as if he didn’t have the great Iron Maiden on his shoulder.

“C’mon, Scarlet. I’m treating you to strawberry cake down at the bakery.”

And with that the two lovers—excuse me, my bad, I meant childhood friends—set off into the distance.

“Gray-sama!”

Juvia’s concerned cry filled the guild hall as she ran to Gray, who promptly fainted and fell to the ground. She tenderly laid his head on her lap as she brushed the tendrils of pitch black away from his eyes.

“Gray-sama, are you okay?” Juvia poked at the pale cheek. She briefly wondered if he was out for the count.

Gray, eyes halflidded, nodded sadly. He gently caught the hand that was cradling his cheek. “Juvia. . . come closer.”

The Water Mage’s eyes practically balled out of her sockets. Her heart pounded erratically as it it would bounce right through her heart. Slowly and softly, she leaned her head down until her nose met his lips.

“Yes, Gray-sama?” Juvia asked, her voice as soft as a whisper. She couldn’t believe she was this close to him. Was she finally going to get her first kiss? Her first marriage proposal? Her first child? Her first wedding? Her first boyfriend?

“I need to pee,” Was Gray’s simple answer.

Juvia froze. Her heart stopped beating so frantically. All of her weird fantasies went down the drain. She quickly muttered a myriad of apologies before setting his head on the floor.

“Juvia is sorry, Gray-sama.” She squeaked one last apology before leaving to find Wendy, who currently was lounging about with Carla and Romeo.

“Wait!”

Gray still didn’t move from his position. He laid on the floor lifelessly. But tugging at his lips, was the most devious grin ever. He stared at Juvia, eyes clouded with something undetermined.

“I need you to carry me there.”

Once those words left his mouth, nobody thought that they’d ever seen Juvia move so damn fast.

Everyone else either stifled a chuckle or went outright stiff. Of course it was only their guild that would have the pleasure of seeing weird events in the span of about ten minutes. The silence continued for about a few minutes before Cana’s burst of laughter filled the guild hall.

“Man oh man, I said it once and I’ll say it again!” Cana exclaimed from her table, raising a bottle high, her cheeks flushed and eyes half closed. “I love this guild!”

“Aye, sir!” The rest of the members cheered ecstatically.

From the Raiijinshuu table, Freed leaned back on the wall, carefully watching his guild mates, one leg crossed over the other. “It’s good to be home.”

“Do you really mean that?” Evergreen said that with a blank tone, dull eyes and arms wrapped around her chest. But behind that fan of hers, was her cheeks tinted pink. Not that she’d say but she was incredibly happy to be with her guild mates as well.

“You’re just cross because Elfman won’t pay any attention to you,” Bickslow commented a bit too freely.

For the next few minutes, only the sound of Evergreen’s fan clashing against Bickslow’s head—plus his wails of surrender but don’t tell anybody that—could be heard in the Raiijinshuu’s table.

Lisanna stretched from her spot, exhausted from serving all of the members’ hungry stomachs. She laid her head on Elfman’s side, smiling happily.

“I’m going to treasure today forever, Elf-nii-chan,” Lisanna said. She saw a lot of smiles today, and she knew instantly that this was something that she’d keep in her heart a long time.

Elfman peered at his sister fondly. He ruffled her shoulder-length hair, smiling warmly at her high-pitched protests. “You’re manly, Lisanna.”

“Nii-chan!” Lisanna pouted. She huffed and turned her head to the side. “I’m a woman, you know. I’m bound to get married soon.”

“That’s not manly!”

And from there, the two siblings bickered about marriage and boys. Unbeknownst to them that there was a couple—silly me, I meant friends— also bickering beside them.

“Gajeel!”

“Shrimp!”

Levy McGarden stomped her tiny little foot on the floor. For the past minute she was trying to tell the stubborn man in front of her that she was cross with him, but he didn’t pay any attention to her ramblings.

“Gajeel!” Levy shouted. She pushed headband back into it’s proper place before jabbing a finger at his chest. “I said leave me alone!”

Levy already turned around with every intention to leave. But before she could continue on with her dramatic entrance, somebody had put a tight grip on her wrist. She spun around to meet the intense crimson eyes of the Iron Dragon Slayer.

“Gajeel,” Levy whined. Her attempts at freeing herself failed miserably. “Let me go.”

“Never.”

Levy raised an eyebrow. She started to become slightly annoyed with his antics. She was practically drooling at the thought of his ches—she meant her books. “Stop this right now, Gajeel. You’re being a dummy.”

Gajeel only shrugged. But he did relent and let go of her wrist. But mark his words, the next time he wouldn’t be so easy to manipulate. Damn the Shrimp for having an effect on him. Damn her!

Grumpy and slightly angry, Gajeel crossed his arms, sporting a tiny pout. “I don’t know why you’re so mad, Shrimp.”

Levy’s eye twitched.

She pulled a book out her of backpack. It was soaking wet and some of the pages were missing as she skimmed through it. Levy slammed the book into his chest—his big and hard chest—with comical tears streaming down her eyes.

“This! You bastard! When you ran into me, you spilled a glass of water on my book! This was a rare copy, Gajeel!” Levy cried out like a little child. She felt her heart break just by reliving the death of her baby. No magic could revive her child now.

Gajeel chuckled, running a palm down his face. “So that’s what this was about?”

Levy wiped another year from her eye as she spun around again, this time with the utmost determination to leave him. “Goodbye!”

“Oh, no you don’t.”

Before Levy could even take another step, Gajeel grabbed her waist and hoisted her onto his shoulder. All the while his heightened hearing became filled with her piercing screams.

“Honestly, Shrimp, if that’s what you wanted, you could have just asked. C’mon, how much does that cost? Twenty books? Fifty? A hundred?”

And so, the new couple—I’ve been making a lot of mistakes lately, I meant the guild mates with a platonic friendship—headed to the nearest bookstore.

Master Makarov, formerly the third and sixth master, watched as another two of his brats left the building. He took in the disappearance of their silhouette before taking another sip of his beverage. And then he smiled.

“It’s really good to be home.”


	3. Say I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five different ways to say ‘I love you’ and the one time Natsu actually says it.
> 
> Pairings — Natsu/Lucy
> 
> Tags — Fluff
> 
> Setting — after Fairy Tail is reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kind of oneshot is popular in Tumblr. So of course, I’m doing one for Natsu and Lucy. and you can bet that I’ll do different kinds for the other ships. And I’ve got a lot planned.

The first time Natsu Dragneel said he loved her, he was frantic and impossibly worried.

Following the rotation of Team Natsu, it was finally Salamander’s turn to choose a job. And of course, courtesy to the adrenaline and destruction flowing down his veins, he chose one a mission that involved monster hunting. He made sure that Lucy’s share would be enough for her rent, it was practically embedded in his mind. And so, the group of four—five, if you included the adorable Exceed—headed off to Magnolia Station, where it would start to go downhill from there.

And because of the Fairy Tail Curse, what was considered to be a simple mission, became a battle for life and death. Members of some weird cult began to attack them, their only advantage was the surprise and the amount of numbers they had on their side of the battlefield. Honestly, the Fairy Tail wizards could never catch a break.

Nonetheless, the cult members were swiftly dealt with by the amazing Team Natsu.

The last time that Natsu saw Erza was when she took out a whole brigade of her opponents with her Ataraxia Armor. The last he’d seen Gray was a few minutes ago, when he froze the incoming attacks from every direction with just a flick of his fingers. Happy currently was perched on his head, curled up and snoring soundly. But Lucy, for the love of all things good, he couldn’t remember the last time he saw her. Lucy, of all people!

The moment Natsu took out the last of his adversaries, he was hellbent on finding his partner. Now, of course, he knew how strong she was, with or without her spirits—believe him, he was on the receiving end of her Lucy-Kicks one too many times, and boy did it hurt—so he wasn’t really worried. He hated to admit it, but whenever Lucy was in trouble, the damn perverted lion seemed to take care of her just fine. So there, Lucy was in great, capable hands.

But Natsu had two problems with this.

The first being he actually needed to confirm Lucy’s safety with his own two eyes. He was desperate to hold her against him tightly, just to feel that she was actually there. He wanted to see that she had no injuries, and that she was completely fine. He needed to hear her voice, boasting about how she took all of her enemies out on her own.

Damn it, he needed _her_.

His second problem was that Lucy had no luck at all. Most of the times, it was her who got the short end of the stick, who got beat up painfully, who got kidnapped with her life as the bargaining chip. Add that to the Fairy Tail Curse, and Lucy was a goner. If he couldn’t find her this instant, he was completely sure that something happened.

“Lucy!” Natsu called out as he trekked deeper into the woods. The sun was beginning to set, he needed to find her fast.

Thinking about Taurus’s battle ax, Virgo’s trusty pitfalls, Sagittarius’s exceptional shooting skills, Aries’s soft but deadly wool bombs, Cancer’s peculiar fighting style, and Scorpio’s sand busters, did absolutely nothing to calm Natsu down.

At first he was okay with the idea of entrusting the Lucy’s life to others, but there was something primal about his need to protect her. To shield her from every bad thing in the world, to make sure that she never knew pain again, and to ensure that she would never, ever shed a tear from those beautiful brown eyes.

An image of Lucy’s limb body laying on the ground, bleeding from the gaping hole in her chest, flashed in Natsu’s mind. Yes, he did get over Future Lucy’s death. It was hard but he did. Seeing how much stronger Lucy got over the year, he knew that she became the fighter she always wanted to be. But that didn’t mean that the memory of his didn’t haunt him at times, especially situations like this.

“Lucy! Where are you?!” Natsu yelled. The sheer volume of his voice was enough to scare a few birds away from their nests. But he didn’t care, he needed to find his best friend.

He begged to whatever deity was listening that she’d be alright. That she was just somewhere out there, probably doing the most _Lucy_ thing. But, if he was going to be honest, not even the gods could ease his worries now. There was only one person who could calm him down, and _she_ was missing.

“Lucy! We need to go home now! Come on!”

Natsu’s heart kept pounding against his chest, begging to be let out. His breathing became ragged. Every fiber of his being seemed to be consumed by the mere need to have Lucy by his side. And the worst part of it all, was that he didn’t know why he’d been so driven by her, as if she were the meaning of life itself.

He shook his head. There was no need to ponder over what she was to him. Lucy was Lucy. His best friend, his partner, and his precious comrade.

But why did he feel like there was something missing in that list?

Natsu slapped his cheeks harshly, trying to come back to reality. His priority was to find Lucy. He could fixate on the other stuff when she was safe and sound.

“Lucy!” He cried out. At this point, it sounded already lik he was begging, just pleading to have Lucy in his arms.

And so he turned to the most reliable person he could think of, Mavis Vermillion. He kept his prayers to her—yes, he was that forlorn that he’d actually pray to the First Master—short and simple.

 _Bring Lucy home_.

“Natsu!”

And there it was. The high-pitched typical screech of hers that managed to pierce his hearing quite painfully. But despite the loud ringing in his ears, there was nothing that made him happier at the moment than the sound of his name coming from her lips.

Natsu barely managed to hold back the laughter that erupted in his throat as he turned around and saw the current predicament she was in. High up, perched on a thick branch of a tree, was Lucy, with her Sagittarius Star Dress twinkling against the light ever so perfectly.

“Lucy?” He called, taking a step further to the tree as he lifted his head—totally not peeking at her underwear, mind you—to get a better look at her. Thankfully, she didn’t seem too beat up. “What are you doing up there?”

A few rustle of the leaves and creaking branches later, her reply came. Her voice was as quiet as a whisper. “Well, I climbed up here to get a better shot. Good news, I think I took out a few of them.”

“That’s really good, Luce!” He said instantaneously, a surge of pride replaced the anxiousness in his body. He then beckoned for her to come down. On the ground. Safe. With him. “How about coming down now?”

Lucy shook her head. She gripped whatever part of the tree she could hold on too. “Bad news is that I climbed way too high. I can’t get down anymore.”

Natsu wanted to throttle her for the look in her eyes. She was scared. How dare she be scared when he was right there? Didn’t she get it in her pretty, thick head that he would most likely do anything for her?

With a small sigh, Natsu stepped back, his arms motioning to come to him. “Alright, Luce. Jump.”

“What?! No way!” Lucy shrieked.

Natsu rolled his eyes. “Come on, Lucy. I’ll catch you, you dumb girl.”

“Me?!” Lucy screeched, already hovering the edge over the branch. “I’m the one being dumb? Well, I’m not the one who suggested that I fly headfirst into the ground and possibly get a concussion doing so!”

Natsu huffed, agitated with her lack of compliance, as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you trust me?”

Silence answered him.

But no sooner than a second later, Natsu found himself laying flat on the forest floor, with all of the air rushing out of his body. His stomach was being tortured with the worst kind of pain ever. He probably couldn’t sit up if he wanted to. From the distance, he could hear Happy shouting frantically.

But all the pain became dull when he realized that it was, in fact, Lucy who crashed into him. He was glad that she trusted him. Even when he was taken by surprise, he still managed to catch her. Somehow.

“I’m sorry for crushing your lungs,” Lucy murmured sorrowfully as she nestled deeper into the crook of his neck. She, too, was unable to move and so she stayed sprawled on top of him, not like she wanted to move anyway.

Natsu answered her with a small chuckle. He traced the outline of her back tenderly as the other hand combed through her golden locks. She was here, with him, safe and secure. He said, “It’s okay.”

“ **I’m just glad you’re safe**.”

**[ AND SO! ]**

The second time Natsu said he loved her, he wanted to snuggle with her.

Because Natsu wasn’t really discreet with his love of Lucy’s bed, and seeing as it that he wouldn’t go anytime soon, not even if Lucy would kick him all the way back to Edolas, Lucy just decided to give him what he wanted. And thus, he got the majority of the bed—and no matter how much he denied it, Natsu did it exactly so Lucy would cling against him.

On a particular night, an evening wherein the stars shone brightly more than ever, Natsu woke up to find the other side of the bed empty and cold.

Still drowsy from dreaming, Natsu absentmindedly let his hand travel around the bed, trying to find his cuddle buddy. But after minutes of finding nothing, he finally sat upright.

He scanned the room for a glimpse of yellow hair, but couldn’t really see anything with his cloudy vision and the terribly dark room with only the moonlight to illuminate the room.

After a while, he finally then he found her.

And by God, was she beautiful.

Natsu’s throat parched up right away at the sight of Lucy. The glowing light coming from the lamp revealed to him the peaceful state Lucy was in. In that exact moment, the light from the moon hit her perfectly and she brightened like a star, like a thousand suns, like an angel.

Like a _fairy_.

He noticed the small golden waves that caressed her back, the exposed skin from her shorts and tank top that glistened beautifully as if she were the nymph of beauty, he drowned in the small smile that tugged at her lips as her tiny hand curled around the pen, slowly dragging it down the paper in graceful strokes.

Natsu didn’t know why he felt like he’d been punched roughly in the gut. Or why he was so damn dizzy. The erratic beating of his heart rushed to his ears. He then decided that the most plausible explanation for this was that he was sick. Yep, that’s why this was all happening.

“Lucy,” He croaked out softly, still partially in the state of slumber. “Come back to bed.”

“No.”

Natsu whined, throwing back his entire body back into the now less comfortable bed. He needed his human pillow right now. The only reason that Lucy would wake up at such an ungodly hour was because she most likely got hit with a wave of inspiration for her novel. Curse her writing urges!

The pillows underneath his head, and the satin sheets covering his waist, didn’t feel complete unless his best friend was beside him. For some twisted reason, he liked the feeling of her arms around him, of waking up to her face first thing in the morning, and just being with her in general.

“Lucy, please.” His eyes were starting to droop from sleepiness but he utterly refused to go back to sleep without her.

A sigh came from Lucy. “Natsu, I’m going to be up for a long time. If you don’t like the lights on, go home.”

From then on, Natsu decided she was the dense one. He didn’t mind the damn lamp. He wanted her beside him. More importantly, he wanted to snuggle with her, she never knew but she also did give warmth to him. Plus, he was being perfectly reasonable, that woman needed sleep and she knew it too. He didn’t understand why she was being so stubborn.

He didn’t smell, did he?

Nevertheless, Natsu let a yawn escape. He fully settled himself in the Lucy-less bed. Dreams began to run through his vision. But before he fully succumbed to the clutches of the deep slumber, he had the energy to say one last thing.

“But. . . **You _are_ home**, Lucy.” Was what he said before he comfortably fell asleep with Happy nestling at the edge of the bed.

Just then Lucy thanked all of her Celestial Spirits that it was pitch black in the room. She didn’t know what she would have done if he saw the growing blush on her cheeks.

**[ THEN! ]**

The third time he said he’s in love with her, Natsu was absolutely livid.

This time, it was Erza’s turn to choose a job. Natsu didn’t really care for the particulars but he did know that their mission was in Magnolia, therefore there was no form of transportation needed, he felt like kicking one of them trains now in pure happiness.

One thing he noticed about their new client was that he was most definitely rich. He gathered that from the gigantic mansion—but no matter how big of a house you had, that was nothing compared to Lucy’s bed—and the array of butlers and maids waiting for their next command. Not to mention the pompous suit that he wore proudly.

He also observed that their client was one peculiar man. Natsu figured as much when the Duke practically threw himself at Erza.

“Titania! Fairy Tail’s strongest mage!” Duke cried out in adoration with the constellations twinkling in his eyes. He inspected her carefully, twirling a lock of fiery red around his finger and glancing at his own reflection through her polished armor.

Erza nodded sternly, not paying heed to the proclaims of love before her. “It’s nice to meet you too, sir. We’re glad you entrusted the job to Fairy Tail. I can assure you—”

Without giving Erza the chance to finish her sentence, Duke moved on the legendary wizard who stood beside her stiffly. This time, everyone could see his heart being ripped out of his chest from the excitement he was feeling.

“Gray Fullbuster!” Duke yelled out in shock. His eyes widened inhumanly as he tried to not so subtly place his stubby fingers on Gray’s now naked chest. The client was too in shock to realize that the man before him was half-naked already. “It’s an honor to meet you!

Natsu had the urge to scoff. He could understand fawning over Erza, but couldn’t for the life of him, comprehend why someone would fall over heels for their resident stripper. Sure, he could pretty ice castles or skate on the ice itself, and that his magic literally meant cool, but that didn’t mean he was cool, right?

Gray laughed nervously as he tried to slowly pry Duke’s fingers away from his chest. He also needed to find clothes before Erza whacked him in the head. “It’s an honor to meet you too, sir. I guess.”

When Duke came up to Natsu himself, he paled for a second. A moment later, Duke was jumping up and down, shaking Natsu’s hand like a little kid. For an old man, he acted like he just received presents from Santa. His weirdness began to scare Natsu, and that said a lot considering that he spent time with the epitome of weird, the pretty blonde one.

“Wow, wow, wow, _wow_ ,” Duke gasped, staring at the Salamander with lovesick eyes. “I can’t believe I get to meet Fairy Tail legends all in one day. Oh my, and you brought your pet cat! How delightful!”

That, for Natsu, was the first strike. Nobody would ever get away with calling Happy a mere pet. Happy was a comrade, partner, friend, and family. He would have socked the guy in the jaw if it weren’t for Erza’s bloodlust glare at him.

“This is Happy,” Natsu pointed to the cat behind him that had now sprouted wings. “He’s my friend.”

“Aye, sir!” Happy proclaimed with a fist raised to the air proudly.

Instead of apologizing, like Natsu thought he definitely would, Duke ignored him and went to the last person of the group. And to say that they were surprised with his reaction, was a complete understatement.

When Duke stood in front of Lucy, he changed his whole demeanor. The light in his eyes disappeared, leaving behind soulless orbs. His smile turned right into a grumpy frown as his eyebrows furrowed. And unlike all the other times, he didn’t even try to shake Lucy’s hand.

It confused Natsu, to say the least. He couldn’t think of any reason for Duke to stay away from Lucy. And so he concluded that their client was allergic to blondes.

“And who are you?” Duke sneered in her face. His upper lip curled into a snarl, obviously disliking her presence.

Lucy, who decided to ignore the hostility, only smiled and waved cheerfully. “I’m Lucy, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Duke huffed, angrily crossing his arms around his tubby chest. “And why are you with Fairy Tail’s strongest team? Are you even part of Fairy Tail at all?”

“Yes, sir, I am,” Lucy answered in glee. “I joined Fairy Tail a long time ago.”

Natsu couldn’t believe his ears. It was unimaginable to think there was a person who didn’t know who Lucy was. And surely, if this guy knew Erza, he _must_ have heard of Lucy.

Lucy took on three of Tartaros’s lackeys—and when the others tried to take on _one_ of them, mind you, they almost died—and managed to hold them off, especially that Jackal guy. She was the one who tore up Everlue’s mansion—which was pretty cool if you asked Natsu. She managed to save Loke’s life and summon Mustache in the process. Heck, she event took out that Mary girl with a freaking Lucy-Punch!

So why, on Earthland, did this bastard not recognize the coolest legend in front of him?

“Oh, I know you now,” Duke said with a nonchalant laugh. And yet, the snark in his eyes didn’t match his own uplifted tone.

Lucy remained silent, only opting for a kind nod of the head. Natsu immediately noted that it was such a Lucy thing to do. To respond first with respect or kindness. Or actually gossip with Gray in secret. But still, out of the three of them, Lucy could actually keep a great composure the longest.

“You’re the Heartfilia heiress, right? The one who ran away?” Duke spat in disgust, towering over Lucy as if he were a force to be reckoned with.

He didn’t give Lucy any time to answer as if continued on with his harsh words. “Aren’t you the one who got kidnapped by Phantom? The one who lost to Raven Tail? Who got beat up by Sabertooth’s Minerva Orland? _Aren’t you?_ ”

“Yes, I am,” Lucy replied meekly, her head hung low.

Natsu could feel his rage burning every inch of his body. Nobody deserved to be belittled like that, especially not Lucy. He didn’t dare look at Lucy’s sullen face for any longer, because if he did, he knew that he would have done something reckless. He thought he could control his anger. But his self-control went out the window as soon as he heard Duke’s next words.

“Do they bring you along out of pity?” Duke continued, not aware of the torment he inflicted on each and every one of the team members. “I truly admire them. It must be hard to carry dead weight.”

After that, Natsu only saw red.

With what little restraint he had left on his rage, Natsu settled to back Duke into the wall, like a predator cornering its weak prey. His gaze settled on the man that hurt his best friend. Natsu’s hand viciously curled around the neck of Duke’s shirt, making it impossible for him to escape.

Because once you angered the dragon, there was no room for mercy.

“What the hell did you say?” Natsu growled deeply. The locks of pink hair fell over his eyes, hiding the madness in them, and yet he still felt the cowardly man trembling in his grasp. In fact, he could feel everyone’s fear in the room.

“I–I did–didn’t kno–know that you wou–would get this ma–mad,” Duke stammered fearfully. He tried to pry Natsu’s fingers away from his shirt, but to his dismay, failed utterly.

Natsu started to pant, exhausted from trying to keep his anger at bay. His hands yearned to slam the guy against the wall, pay him back a hundred times for ever humiliating his trusty partner. He brought his other fist and punched the wall with all the strength he had, just inches away from Duke’s shivering figure.

“Apologize.” It was a demand.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Duke squeaked. Once Natsu finally released him from his tight hold, Duke immediately scampered off away, most likely to call the guards and escort the crazy wizards outside his home.

Natsu took a couple of minutes to himself. Breathing in deeply and exhaling loudly to calm himself down. And after a few moments, all the fury in his veins dissipated completely. But there was something missing. _Someone_ he needed.

“Natsu?”

Lucy brought him out of his reverie. Her hands came up to soothe the worry lines on his face, eventually bringing him closer to her, letting him rest his forehead on hers. She brushed away the salmon shaded strands away from his eyes.

“Natsu,” Lucy whispered again, chocolate eyes gazing up to intense raven eyes. A small smile tugged at the edge of her lips. “Thank you. But you didn’t have to do that,” She said ever so softly.

Before he could say anything, Lucy pointed to their two other best friends. “If Gray and Erza didn’t do anything, you shouldn’t have done that too. We had a lot riding on this job. Plus, I was fine with it anyway. Just don’t do it again, please?”

That was something he could never promise. Natsu was surprised at how Lucy could say that she was okay with being degraded like that. And because Natsu understood her from head to toe, he bloody well knew that Lucy had already forgiven Duke.

“But, Lucy, I—”

“You’re a damn idiot, Lucy.” It was Gray who said that. He had his arms crossed around his bare chest. His pants had gone missing somehow. But all of that became overshadowed by the furious gaze in his eyes.

“Eh?” Lucy gasped, pulling away from Natsu, much to his dismay. She stared at Gray with wide, confused eyes.

With a slight blush tinting his cheeks, Gray scratched the back of his neck nervously. “One second longer, and I would have punched the guy. 100,000 Jewels or not, nobody gets away with saying stuff like that.”

“He’s right, Lucy,” Erza commented with a nod. She sighed deeply. “No job is worth my friend’s tears. Although, I wouldn’t have gone to such extremities. I have _class_ , after all.”

“Of course, you do, Erza,” Lucy whispered with a sniffle. She wiped a few tears that cascaded down her pale cheeks. After slapping her face to get rid of all the sad tension, she smiled radiantly. “Thank you, guys. You honestly didn’t have to.”

“Know this, Lucy,” Natsu said tenderly. He took her chin, lifting her face to meet his own stare. “You are not dead weight to us.”

“Luce, **you are one heck of a girl**.”

**[ NEXT! ]**

The fourth time Natsu said he loved her, he wished she wasn’t so pretty.   
  
“Natsu, how does this one look?”

Lucy came out of the bathroom, her hair damp and loose, skin moist from the warm shower she took a few minutes ago. She had a red dress on that ended above her knees and cinched at her waist. For a brief moment, Natsu was reminded of her regal lifestyle with how elegant she looked, especially with her fancy makeup.

“You look weird,” Was his answer. And frankly, he’d been telling the truth. He preferred to see her when she was most comfortable. In her usual outfit, like she was ready to go on another adventure with him.

The blonde pouted with a disappointed huff escaping her now red lips. She grabbed another dress, this time a light blue one, and headed off into the bathroom once more. Not before giving him a glare, playfully sticking her tongue out. “Do you even know what pretty means?”

“Yeah, I do!” Natsu retorted as he threw a pillow at her, which she caught effortlessly with a happy squeal. When she disappeared in the bathroom, Natsu turned to Happy who was sleeping soundly on her bed. “Lucy is being mean again, Hap.”

He threw his whole body back on the fluffy bed. His arms were behind his head as he stared at the blank ceiling. There was a depressed feeling that settled uncomfortably in his gut and it began to throw him off.

Natsu loathed the idea of Lucy going on a date. That meant someone else would see how pretty she was. How good she smelled. How strong her kicks and punches were. Or how beautiful a feeling it was to be able to run their fingers through her golden locks. How smooth her fair skin was. Or maybe how cute she was when someone teased her. For some reason, Natsu didn’t feel like sharing that.

But he just couldn’t understand why.

Natsu laid on the bed, trying to wrack his head for some reasonable answers. But ultimately failed. Thankfully, he didn’t get to fixate on how pathetically bored and dumb he was as the doorbell’s ringing echoed across Lucy’s apartment. That just made the sinking emotion even worse.

Her date was here.

“Luce, door!” Natsu called for her. He then widened his eyes as he thought of the most perfect idea. Damn, he was smart. “Nevermind, I’ll get it!”

“Alright,” She answered. “Just don’t scare him off!”

“I won’t!” Natsu smirked. He totally was going scare him off. No man was good enough for her.

He quickly scuffled to the other side of the room. A wicked grin plastered on his face as his hand met the doorknob. He just couldn’t wait to set his plan in motion.

“Alright, you little bastard, who the hell do you think you are?” Natsu practically ripped the door open. His eyes set on the scrawny man in front of him with shaggy blonde hair, dressed in a casual shirt and pants. He wanted to laugh in his face, and at Lucy’s ugly taste in men.

Natsu towered over Lucy’s date with ease. He noticed the small tremors that wrecked his legs, and the slight confusion in his eyes, most likely wondering what he was doing in Lucy’s room. When he narrowed his eyes slightly, Lucy’s date jumped and took a step backwards.

“Uhm, excuse me, but is Miss Lucy around?” The man said quietly, yet not wavering his eye contact, fiddling with his fingers nervously. “I’m Reiko, her date.”

Natsu’s eyes raked over Reiko’s figure. He was decent. But decent wasn’t perfect enough for Lucy. He crossed his arms as leaned on the doorway. “Did you bring an extra coat?”

Reiko shook his head, puzzled eyes widening even more. “No. Why?”

Natsu scoffed. “It’s common knowledge, buddy. If you take Lucy out this time of night, you gotta bring an extra coat for her.”

“Shouldn’t she bring her own coat?” Reiko furrowed his eyebrows. He gestured subtly to the array of fancy coats that layed on the bed.

And while he had every intention to light the guy on fire—and they said he was dense—for such a dumb suggestion, Natsu held back for the sake of Lucy. But then realized it was pointless since he was gonna drive the guy away in a while.

“If you’re going to deal with her,” Natsu huffed out loud, spitting out the words like it was the truth written stone. “She forgets to stay warm during the cold. So bring a damn coat. Or a blanket, she likes thick blankets. Got it, man?”

Unfortunately for Reiko, Natsu wasn’t done yet. Not in the least bit.

Who was dumb enough to steal a dragon’s treasure anyway?

This time Natsu stood up straight, his gaze sharpening and piercing right at the intruder who had come to try and take away his best friend. He loomed over Reiko darkly, subconsciously pronouncing that he was the alpha male. To be honest, he didn’t know where all of this possessiveness came from.

“Would you do anything to make her happy?” He asked pointedly.

Reiko gulped down his fears. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“Would you illegally uproot a tree from the mayor’s garden if that made her happy?”

“Eh?!” Reiko’s eyes bulged out of his head. He shook his head frantically as his arms waved around. “I follow the rules, sir. I’m pretty sure there are plenty of ways to make her happy without involving me getting arrested.”

Natsu magically pulled a notebook from his pocket, a pen in the other hand as he scribbled down something on the paper hurriedly. “Okay, crossing out happiness.”

The Dragon Slayer turned back his attention to Reiko. Natsu’s eyes burned with a new wave determination. “Alright, buddy. What are you gonna do when she cries?”

Reiko shrugged. “Hug her?”

Natsu shook his head. He patted Reiko’s head out of sympathy. “First, you gotta beat the crap out of who made her cry. Then, you do the sappy stuff.”

“What if I was the one who made her cry?” Reiko asked.

“Then you beat yourself up,” Natsu answered way too nonchalantly. The pen and notebook reappeared in his grasp, the sound of him scratching out something from his weird list filled the conversation’s void. “There goes her emotional being.”

“Alright, last question, it’s the most important question so think carefully.” Natsu grinned radiantly. As fun as interrogating him was, it was time to end the fun. “How far would you go to protect her?”

Reiko furrowed his eyebrows, clocking his head to the side a bit. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Natsu rolled his eyes. “Lets say she was kidnapped, which happens way too often, what would you do?”

“I don’t know. Call the Council, I guess?” Reiko’s words came out slowly, as if unsure of himself.

“Well, I gotta erase her safety from the list. Damn.” Natsu sighed. But really wasn’t disappointed. “You take the matters into your own hands. You don’t rest until she’s there with you, safe and sound.”

“But I’m not a mage like you two!” Reiko exclaimed. “I can’t do anything!”

Natsu shook his head. “Wizard, Non-Magic user, cat, lizard, dragon, anyone can do anything. You just gotta believe you can do it. That kind of thinking is going to get you stuck in one place forever.”

Reiko hung his head down low. “If you say so.”

Natsu gave him a subtle nod. He was pleased that he won this round. Although, he still couldn’t understand why he’d been so drive to scare all of her suitor’s away, like he was afraid of sharing her with someone else. To lose her forever.

“You like her, don’t you?” Reiko asked softly.

Well, did he?

“Yeah, I do,” Natsu after careful moments of deliberation.

It made sense now. Saying those words out loud lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. He finally understood what he felt. He saw her more than a team partner. And as ecstatic as he was to make this revelation, he was sure it wasn’t the appropriate time yet to bring about a whirlwind of change. Not when Lucy still had a lot to adjust too after such hectic years.

Reiko nodded solemnly. He gave Natsu a reassuring pat on the back before he said goodbye. “Take care of her, man.”

“I will,” Natsu replied with every intention to keep his promise.

“Natsu?”

Lucy came out of the shower, now dressed in an angelic blue dress and glass sandals. Her soft voice caught his attention. “Who was that? Was that Reiko? Did you scare him off?”

Natsu whistled playfully, avoiding her gaze. “Reiko? Who? I don’t know anything. Who are you?”

“Natsu,” Lucy whined. She pointed to her dress and her face covered in makeup. “What am I supposed to do with this now? I got all dressed up for nothing.”

Natsu saw the downtrodden look on her face. Well he did suppose that he canceled their dates. But never fear, he had a great plan.

He quickly padded across the room, taking her hand in his. He relished in the feel of her dainty small hand against his own. And then he began to pull them out of the room and into the comfort of the starry night.

“Natsu? Where are we going?” Lucy asked, a little winded.

Natsu turned back to face the precious blonde. He shot her one of his infamous grins, which could only mean one thing. A fun night out with a little sprinkle of trouble.

“ **Lets go on an adventure,** Luce!”

**[ AND THEN! ]**

The fifth time time Natsu said he loved her, he almost lost his life.

The sun had already set, allowing the bright moon to take it’s place high up in the sky. Half an hour of taking out the countless members of a newly pledged dark guild took a toll of Natsu’s energy and magic. He made way to a tree, dropping to his knees and leaning against the trunk as he began his rest.

He fought hard to keep his eyes from closing down, he needed to stay alert in case of anything happened. But every fiber in his being practically begged for him to sleep, to hibernate for a few hundred years. That was how tired he was. But in a matter of seconds, his magic power gradually risen from the ethernanos in the air.

Natsu didn’t see it clearly, but in the midst of his somnolent vision, he was sure that he caught a glimpse of a fair skinned angel with flaxen hair that fell down to her waist. It wasn’t until he heard her squeaky voice that he realized who she really was. A pretty blonde angel who had violent tendencies when provoked.

“You alright, Natsu?” Lucy gently cooed, brushing away the roseate bangs from his face so she’d be able to bandage his head easier.

Natsu nodded absentmindedly. “So tired,” He mumbled.

Lucy giggled, carefully bringing the bandage wrap around his head. “That part’s not so surprising. You took out half of them. Honestly, you should learn how to share.”

“Nah,” He whispered, sending her a devious smirk.

The soft snap of a twig caught Natsu’s attention. He immediately sat up straight, eyes glazing over the surroundings in search for the new intruder. His heightened sense of smell caught the scent of someone unfamiliar. And for now, he classified it as a threat.

His sight concentrated on the man behind Lucy. At that exact moment, time began to stop. In spite of that, his mind focused on two things: One, was that the intruder had a gun ready to fire, there was no mistaking the bloodlust in his eyes. And two, Lucy was in between them, meaning she would be the one to take the hit.

But ultimately, Natsu immediately knew what he had to do.

Without giving anyone the chance to react, Natsu pulled Lucy behind him, shielding every part of her with his own body. Once the blast hit his back, he let out a pained groan. His entire body seared with utmost pain, vision blurring to the point of not being able to see at all.

And then, he fell to the ground.

Lucy was quick to introduce the guy to her trusty whip, and not sooner than a minute later, the enemy ran for the hills. She immediately came back to Natsu’s side, affectionately bringing his head to her lap.

“Natsu,” She called out softly, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Salamander choked up a garbled chuckle. His hand came up to slowly trace his angel’s cheek. “There. . . wasn’t a lot of thinking involved **. I just saw you about to get hurt and then I just moved.”**

A restrained laugh escaped past Lucy’s frowning lips. Her hand acted on it’s own accord, covering Natsu’s hand softly and then bringing the entwined hands to her chest, right where her heart rested. “Damn it. You could have been worse than this. Just hang on, okay? Wendy is coming in two minutes.”

Natsu nodded, already slipping into the depths of sleep. “It’s gonna take a lot more than this to put me down.”

**[ LASTLY! ]**

When Natsu Dragneel finally had the balls to tell her that he loved her, with those exact words, he woke up to the beating of a lifetime.

He woke up with his nose incredibly itchy and runny with snot. His muscles and limbs ached all over, not to mention that his head ached terribly as well. It felt like something tickled his throat mercilessly as it was sore and scratchy. To make matters worse, his vision became completely blurry, as if he was intoxicated.

He might as well been dying!

But that wasn’t the worse of it. Standing in the middle of the guild infirmary, just at the foot of his bed, was Lucy Heartfilia. And boy, was she angry. The spark in her eyes never burnt out as she slowly stalked over to Natsu.

Not caring that he was actually a patient recuperating, Lucy grabbed ahold of the collar of his shirt, bringing his face oh-so close to hers. “I told myself that I wasn’t going to do this, _Natsu Dragneel_. But you were out for a week. Do you know how worried I was? I’ll ask you once again, what on Earthland were you thinking?”

Lucy pulled back to jab a tiny finger at his chest. “The next time you let yourself get hurt. I won’t be so forgiving. You’re lucky that the guy wasn’t as strong as Bisca. Just imagine if he was, you’d be dead right now!”

Natsu didn’t like the idea of Bisca sending him to his grave. But he knew if he said anything while the demon slash angel of his was ranting, he would have hell to pay. And so he just kept silent, staring absently at the pretty girl in front of him.

“What if the guy aimed for your head?!” Lucy screeched, now pacing back and forth like a madwoman. “What if you never woke up?! Did you stop to think about the consequences of your recklessness?! We’re a team and I’d be damned if I was the cause of your death. I’m supposed to protect you, you know! That’s it—”

 **“I love you.** ”

Natsu couldn’t help it. He’d been so consumed with every part of her. The way her high pitched voice rose louder and louder. Her soft footsteps as she stomped around crazily. The few beads of sweat that dripped down her forehead, moistening her pale skin a bit. And the little puffs of breaths she took as she faced him.

“What?!” Lucy yelled once more, her eyes wide as she stared at him incredulously. “Did you just—”

“Yeah, I did.”

Natsu didn’t give anymore time for her to react as he pulled her into the bed with him. He made himself comfortable, snuggling beside her as he settled his head in the valley of her breasts. Ah, this was the life, he thought.

“Luce, stop squirming,” Natsu murmured to the wriggling girl in his hold. “I’m supposed to be healing, y’know?”

Eventually, Lucy stopped her frantic movements. After a few deep breaths and a loud gulp, Lucy relaxed under his touch and began to dig her hands deep into the pink spikes of hair. “You–you–you love me?”

“More than a partner.” He confirmed with a yawn.

“Oh. Cool.”

The two partners settled in a comfortable silence. Lucy ran her hands through Natsu’s hair in random patterns. Whilst Natsu drew circles animatedly on Lucy’s thigh, occasionally tracing a dragon as well. But, unbeknownst to the two of them, they both had a heart that throbbed quickly and painfully.

It took a while. But Lucy finally broke the silence. “Natsu?”

“Hm?”

“I love you, too.”


	4. Sleeping Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The five times Juvia falls asleep on Gray.
> 
> Pairings — Gray/Juvia
> 
> Tags — fFuff-ish, Hurt/Comfort
> 
> Setting — Grand Magic Games, Tartaros, Avatar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Juvia needs more freaking love. If she’d been portrayed properly, a balance between her crush and her super badassery, people would have the chance to see the real side of her.

**[ FAIRY TAIL ]**

The first time Juvia fell asleep on Gray, it was during the Grand Magic Games.

And Gray immediately pushed her off.

They had just won the Grand Magic Games, taking back the title of Fiore’s strongest guild, and ultimately giving peace to the other guild members who suffered a rough seven years. The roaring and cheering coming from the arena gone straight to Gray’s head, and combined with his exhaustion, he felt a little unsteady on his feet. But this feeling was thoroughly welcomed.

Gray’s eyes rested on Gajeel as he throttled Sting, shaking him like a rag doll. But his gaze lingered on Juvia a bit longer. He frowned once he saw the bruises upon bruises decorating her pale skin. A slight tingle shot up his skin once he met her sweet doe eyes. But this time, for some reason, it wasn’t the creepy kind of shiver.

He stared at the castle in the distance, and then back to night blanketed with a million of shimmering stars. “Natsu, Lucy, I hope you’re alright.”

The sudden weight on his torso made him look downwards. And it totally wasn’t what he was expecting. There Juvia was, eyes closed and face rid of any frowns, leaning on his chest with her chest peacefully rising up and down. It looked like she was snoring as well. Gray noted how cold her skin felt against his own freezing body, how soft her long blue hair was, and how he couldn’t get enough of the slight tinge of saltiness in her scent, exactly like the ocean.

All of those things scared Gray. He didn’t even get the time to wonder about how the hell she fell asleep on him as he pushed her away rather harshly on instinct.

Juvia staggered a few steps back. Her dark eyes widened as she read her current situation. And then she began to bow her head apologetically. “Juvia is sorry, Gray-sama. Please forgive Juvia. Juvia didn’t mean to fall asleep. It seems the Games exhausted Juvia. Juvia will go find the Master now.”

Gray wasn’t able to get his mouth open for some reason. All he could do was watch as Juvia wobbled sleepily back to where the other guild members were. As he silently followed the disappearance of her silhouette, a raging burning feeling festered in his chest, hurting more than his sustained injuries.

He figured it was guilt. The way her eyes watered, her rambling as if she’d die at the thought of ever bothering him seriously. But something in Gray stirred when he watched her limp back to the inn. It was like he wanted to carry her himself. Like he didn’t want her to exert any more energy than necessary.

But he didn’t do anything else except let her go.

**[ AND! ]**

The second time Juvia fell asleep on Gray, was after the exhausting war with the dragons.

Gray had seen his death. Lyon, Chelia, and Juvia saw it as well. He could vividly remember the searing pain in his chest, recalling how each blast went through his body so smoothly. But one look at Juvia’s streaming tears and the way she clutched him so tightly, he knew he was alive.

He couldn’t focus on anything on the moment. His head felt so light and dizzy. After realizing he needed a moment to calm down, he sat down, hands in his hair and face tucked in between his knees. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

Images of him lying lifelessly on the ground flashed in his mind over and over again, not giving him the chance to move on, until his head ached so terribly. His heart felt like somebody had ripped it out of his chest, tearing it into pieces mercilessly. It seemed like his meditating session didn’t work at the moment.

And then she came.

From the corner of his eye, Gray observed Juvia as she sat down, taking a similar position as he had, shielding herself from the exhausting reality. He also noticed the small tremors that consumed her slender frame, almost like she was haunted by the same nightmare.

“What’s wrong, Juvia?” He asked with a little more edge to his tone that he had expected.

After a few moments, she replied, albeit softly. “Juvia was scared.”

Gray raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised with her answer. “Scared that you’d have no one else to stalk?” Damn it. He was going for a lighthearted joke but it seemed his words saddened her even more.

Juvia shook her head. “No, not that. Juvia knows she can be a bit _overbearing_ at times. But Juvia has never experience such longing and admiration before. When Juvia and Gray-sama first met, Gray-sama had shown her mercy and kindness, Juvia is grateful for that. Tonight, Juvia was scared because of almost losing a dear friend.”

All his fears and worries completely washed away after hearing her tender confession. Gray couldn’t keep up with the way his heart raced excitedly. He saw the nearing sun in the distance, and he felt the new dawn for himself as well. With those words, Juvia managed to drive away a portion of his darkness.

And Gray knew, in the bottom of his heart, that Juvia would do it again in the near future.

Although her face is covered by her dark cerulean locks, Gray heard the soft snores coming from her. It was most likely that she fell asleep again. It took a few minutes ‘til she fully succumbed to the clutches of sleep, her head inching closer and closer to Gray’s shoulder.

But this time, he didn’t push her away.

Instead he let her lean on him. Despite the small trail of drool dripping into his bare arm, he let her stay. Because something in him said that she belonged there beside him, just a little something that he decided to ignore for the time being. Her hair became a frizzy mane after all the battles, which frankly itched at his arm, but he didn’t dare move.

“Thank you,” He mumbled affectionately, looking down at his slumbering comrade. Gray took a whiff of her brine scent, and surrendered to sleep himself.

**[ THEN! ]**

The third time Juvia fell asleep on Gray, it was during the ball for the wizards who took part in the battle of Crocus.

Between stuffing his face with all the fancy meals, wrecking the entire ballroom, and beating the crap out of a certain pinkette, Gray was exhausted. And he rightfully demanded a break, deciding that fresh air outside would do. Now that he’d been stripped down to his boxers and left the bowtie around his neck, he knew that the cold evening air would suit him quite nicely.

When Gray arrived at the balcony, he’s graced with the magnificent view of the palace garden, adorned with all kinds of flowers he’s never seen before. The chilling evening air washed over his body pleasantly, sending a season of thrills down his body. He can’t help but reminisce the memories he has had in the cold, both the bad and the good.

A silhouette of a person, just right in front of him, caught his attention. This person seemed to be frantic, being oh-so gritty with their movements. Gray could also hear the angry mumbles of this hooded figure. And when the moonlight draped over the person, Gray’s breath got stuck in his throat.

Each blinding ray of the moon illuminated Juvia, making her pale skin shine brightly as a star. The long strands of blue turned into deep topaz. And if it weren’t for the frilly gown of hers, Gray would have thought she was a seductress about to whisk him away for a night of neverending pleasure. The frown staining her thin lips didn’t go unnoticed as well.

“You know,” Gray muttered casually, leaning against the wall. “If you keep talking to yourself like that, people will definitely think you’re crazy.”

Juvia whipped her head around, dark eyes growing wide with surprise. “Gray-sama! Juvia didn’t know you were here.”

With one hand laid out against her chest, she continued solemnly, “And, Juvia is used to people talking. It’s alright.”

Gray ignored her last sentence. He doesn’t understand why, but the thought of her being alright with people gossiping about her was like a direct punch to the gut. It was probably because he saw her as a friend, and he didn’t like seeing his friends being treated badly. But he didn’t show any of his emotion, his face remained stone cold.

He sighed. “What are you doing here alone, Juvia? Where’s Lucy or Erza? A lot of things happen to girls at night, you know that, right?”

A conniving smile curled at Juvia’s rose colored lips as she held up a pair of sandals. “Juvia hates these shoes. Juvia wants to go to sleep. And first thing in the morning, Juvia will burn these shoes, Juvia never wants to wear them ever again.”

“Why did you wear them then?” Gray snickered at the sight of her bare foot.

“Lucy-san said it would make me look pretty for you,” Juvia answered softly, a blush creeping up to her cheeks.

“Of course she did.” Gray scoffed.

He took a peek at the reddened heels of her dainty feet. A sudden urge to pick her up swept through Gray. He thought about it. And after a while, he figured there would be no harm in sweeping her off her feet.

Gray’s legs moved on their on own accord, moving forward with every second. And before he knew it, his arms were under her back, he was lifting her off the ground and settling her in his grasp. She was a bit heavier than he expected but he didn’t relent.

“Gray-sama!” Juvia squeaked. She covered her face with her hands. “Please put Juvia down! This is too embarassing!”

Gray stared at her passively. And after a minute of staring at her angelic features, he stuck his tongue out playfully. “Are you saying you don’t want me carrying you? Do you not like me after all?”

“Eh?! No! Erm–yes! Wait! Juvia doesn’t know! Please put Juvia down!” She suddenly turned her face away from him, shielding her bright red cheeks.

“You’ve been fighting so much,” Gray whispered sternly, making the girl in his arms stop squirming. “So, just this once, let me do this.”

Juvia blinked a few times in disbelief before she nodded. “Alright, then.”

And so, the two wizards left the palace without having any of their nosey friends in the way. Gray didn’t know how long he’d been walking for, but he somehow made it to the streets, passing by the different bars and inns that celebrated Fairy Tail’s victory with just as much vigor. A lot of people gave him weird looks from strolling down the path since he was half-naked with a girl in his arms. But he paid no mind to it.

It didn’t take long for Juvia to fall asleep, the rocking sensations Gray walking eventually lulled her to sleep, not to mention her complete exhaustion. So like the good friend he was, Gray wanted to swing by the inn where she was staying at and drop her off. He had an inkling where the inn was, thanks to Mirajane.

When Gray arrived at the inn, the front door was unlocked. He made a mental note to scold his comrades for being irresponsible. But then decided against it since they’d ask questions as to what he was doing there in the first place. The room was dark, only having the moonlight flash on certain parts, the soft footsteps filled the empty room as Gray made his way to the bed that was bunched up with creepy teddy bears with his face on it.

Gray laid Juvia on her bed as gently as he could. He covered her with a warm blue blanket, feeling satisfied with the way she nestled herself deeper into the bed. A few dark strands of hair fell over her eyes. Instinctively, he brushed the locks away.

Unable to stay away, Gray’s hand trailed down to her face, tracing the outline of her jaws tenderly. When he realized that he’d been consumed by the softness of her creamy complexion, Gray became aware of his situation. If the Salamander knew that he was ogling Juvia while she was asleep, he would officially be a freaking pervert!

“What the heck is that woman doing to me?” Gray made a beeline for the exit, not wanting to be any more of a creep.

That night, the people of Crocus were graced with the sight of a man in his boxers angrily talking to himself as he stomped all the way to the palace.

**[ NEXT! ]**

The fourth time Juvia fell asleep on Gray, was after the battle with Tartaros.

She had come to see him while he’d been mourning for his dad.

His knees were sore and numb from kneeling on the snow for too long. And although his arms started to ache from being wrapped around her for an excessive amount of time, he didn’t want to move. Just for this moment, Gray wanted to freeze time and stay with her a little bit longer. But seeing the sun setting in the faraway distance, Gray knew that time wasn’t on his side.

“Juvia,” Gray croaked, cheeks stained with tears. One hand came to cradle the back of her neck, bringing her face closer to his. “Thank you. . . for all this.”

Juvia nodded. She let her head fall on his sturdy shoulders, sighing deeply. “What will Juvia and Gray-sama do now?”

Unfortunately, he knew what she was referring to. The disbandment of the guild. Truthfully, he didn’t know what he was going to do as well. He figured he would go somewhere, train and get stronger, so when the time came, he would finally be able to carry out his father’s wishes and put an end to E.N.D.

“Come with me, Juvia,” He didn’t know where that came from. But the idea didn’t seem so bad. “Lets go somewhere. Somewhere far away.”

Still not looking up, Juvia nodded sadly. “Will Gray-sama and Juvia come back to Fairy Tail?”

Gray lifted her chin as gently as he could, treating her as if she were made of porcelain glass. He looked into her eyes earnestly. “Of course we will. Can’t stay long away from family, now can we?”

“Hai!” Juvia smiled brightly, a lone single tear trailing down her cheek.

As Gray stood up, wiping off the snow from his knees, he offered a hand to the woman in front of him. “Will you come with me?”

“I will.” Juvia took his hand.

The two began their descent from the snowy mountain. The moon rose steadily as they got nearer to the ground. And before the duo knew it, they were already making their way back to Magnolia, a place where they would have to temporarily stop calling it their home.

Who was Gray kidding, Magnolia and Fairy Tail would always be his home. He’d be damned if it was otherwise.

A high pitched whine broke him out of his reverie. Gray turned back to see Juvia crouching with her hands on her knees, panting heavily as if she had just ran a marathon.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, gradually making his way to her.

She smiled weakly as she stood up straight. “Juvia can’t feel her legs anymore.”

They had been walking for about three hours now, Gray supposed she did have every right to be tired. One look at the exhaustion in her eyes, her trembling legs, the sweat trailing down her porcelain skin, and Gray’s instincts took over. The worst part of it all was that he didn’t know why he despised the sight of Juvia being hurt. It felt like Natsu infected him with whatever he had with Lucy.

Gray tuned out the surprised squeals coming from the bluenette as he swooped Juvia off her feet, catching her in his arms with ease. And although her skin felt cold against his, Gray thought that he’d never been so warm before. He still couldn’t place what this feeling was. It felt a like a hundred rhinoceroses were raging inside his stomach.

A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips when he heard the noises die down dramatically. He looked down to see Juvia already asleep, giving in to the fatigue from the hours of journey. Begrudgingly, Gray tore his gaze away from the sleeping beauty and to the town of Magnolia that came nearer with every step he took.

“We’ll come back. Don’t you worry,” Gray said with utmost determination. When the time was right, he and Juvia would come back home.

**[ LASTLY! ]**

The fifth time Juvia fell asleep on Gray, was during the 6–month mark of them living together.

The two took refuge in a remote town, living in a quaint house that had been previously abandoned. The Ice-Make Mage and the Water Wizard trained together, ate together, took on various jobs together, and slept. . . in separate beds.   
  
But on the eve of their supposed 6–month anniversary, Gray found himself outside the picturesque home, a place where he managed to make pleasant memories, where he could call home for a bit. He basked in the light of the full moon, thankful that it was just him, his thoughts, and the cold.

He was going to leave her.

Unfortunately, Gray didn’t know for how long either. But he was going to keep his promise to his father. No matter what, he would infiltrate Zeref’s cult, learn as much as he could about the demon his dad tried to kill, and carry out his father’s wishes. Thankfully, he had Erza on his side. He just hoped that the mission would be a success this time around.

Gray was so focused on the weight on his shoulders that he didn’t notice the soft footsteps slowly growing nearer and nearer. Only then did he notice the new presence when the person laid their hand on his now bare shoulder.

“Gray-sama.”

Juvia quietly shuffled around to sit beside him. She cleared her throat, tightened her robe, and then turned her doe eyes back to him, eyes that glistened with unshed tears.

Nervously, she switched her attention to her fingers as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Then she took a deep breath. “Juvia knows you’re going to leave.”

“What?”

Gray felt his heart skip a beat. He didn’t want to involve her. Reason number one was because Erza mentioned that the infiltration would work if less people knew about it. Reason number two was he needed her to stay safe. He was careful not to let anything about the mission reach her ears.

Juvia nodded solemnly. “But Juvia does not know where. There’s a hole in Juvia’s chest, tearing her apart everyday because Juvia knows that wherever you have to go, it must be important.”

“It is important,” Was all Gray said. He couldn’t speak properly, not with his frantic nerves and all.

“And so, Juvia has to let you go. Even if it means she’ll be lonely for a while.” Juvia wiped the lone tear that managed to escape her eyes.

But restraining her tears became useless the moment Gray pulled her in for a hug. As he wrapped his arms around the trembling girl, Juvia’s walls broke and began to sob hysterically into his chest.

“Juvia misses Fairy Tail,” She whimpered. “Juvia misses Lucy-san, Natsu-san, Erza-san, Wendy-san, Cana, Levy-san, Master, Mira-san. Juvia wants everything to go back to the way it was.”

Gray didn’t know what to do at the moment. He wasn’t educated in this part of life—he blamed Ur—but he settled her letting her cry more while he rubbed her back soothingly.

“I miss home, too,” He said after the hysteria died down to a series of painful hiccups. His hand was now going through her bright blue hair.

After a few moments, Juvia calmed herself down. She distanced herself from him, much to both of their surprise, and hastily wiped away the tears and snot dripping down from the sides of her face.

She turned to him once again. “Promise Juvia that Gray-sama and Juvia will go home to Fairy Tail together.”

Gray nodded. He had every intention of keeping that promise. “Aye, sir.”

But before he left, he needed one last thing to do. Just to ease the Rain Woman of her worries. Even if it was quite uncharacteristic of him.

Gray took Juvia’s hand, intertwining the delicate hand against his own. And then he stared deep into her eyes.

“I promise I’ll come back to you too after I go to that place.”

Juvia blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Her eyes went wide as she managed to comprehend his words. Her gaze switched back and forth to their hands and to his eyes, her chest now erratically rising and falling.

“Eh?!” She managed to screech incoherent words right into his ears before passing out.

Gray was quick to catch her. He was now walking in the direction of Juvia’s room. With sheer perseverance, he laid her own the bed, throwing layers upon layers of blankets on her so she wouldn’t get cold. He took a step back to admire his handiwork, also known as the Juvia Roll.

And with one last look at the woman who was tucked inside a number a blankets, Gray took his leave.

“Goodbye, Juvia.”


	5. Lets Party!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisanna is back. So why is Lucy so sad?
> 
> Pairings — Guild Friendship
> 
> Tags — Fluff, Humor
> 
> Setting — Edolas Arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my favorites to write.

If anyone were to ask Wendy Marvell what the definition of happiness was, she would have to say, Fairy Tail.

Despite the near amount of times that she and her treasured guild mates had their lives at stake, the different villains that tried to sever the bond between them wizards, and the numerous adventures that cost them a lot, Wendy associated joy, growth, ecstaticness, love, and friendship with the wizard guild, Fairy Tail. Wendy could remember the different instances in which the smile on her face just wouldn’t stop growing when she was with her friends. Although they got in a lot of trouble, everyone always saved each other in the end, and even if someone tried to cut the ties between one another, their bonds would always prevail so it seemed.

And that, to Wendy, was happiness.

But, to her surprise, there was something better than just being with them. When Wendy spent time with guild, especially at their highest level of hyperactivity and happiness, it was the best feeling in the world.

Wendy watched, a grin tugging at her lips, as everyone celebrated the return of Lisanna Strauss, the sister of Mirajane and Elfman who had been previously proclaimed dead. Wendy had never seen the guild members so happy before. Elfman wouldn’t stop crying and smiling at the same time. Cana’s laughter never ceased once, the sound echoed sweetly across the room, making Wendy feel more and more at home. And Mirajane, now glowing brighter with beauty and serenity, served every order with a energetic bounce in her step, the occasional tear slipping down her pale cheeks.

A warm and fuzzy feeling erupted in Wendy’s stomach. It was something she felt ever since she joined the guild. She welcomed it a whole lot. And she was pretty sure that someday she would burst with how happy she was.

Wendy’s attention turned to the ever so rambunctious Team Natsu, also known as the strongest team in the guild. Gray and Natsu divulged in a drinking contest, which ended quickly when Cana innocently stole their liquor, making the two resort to the best way they knew how to celebrate: pranking Erza. And of course, it didn’t end well, knowing Titania. But after their mini-fight, the trio of best friends burst into a never-ending fits of snorting and giggling. It was then Carla concluded that the powerful wizards were idiotic children, (but her affection and respect for them grew stronger all the same).

Frowning, Wendy searched around for the bright light of their team. Suffice to say, that when she found Lucy sulking in a corner, Wendy was shocked. She’d never seen Lucy look so sad before, she’d always be smiling whenever the two crossed paths. Lucy had a dark ambience surrounding her, it was a huge difference from Lucy’s usual megawatt smile and golden aura.

“Are you okay, Lucy-san?” Wendy asked meekly as she approached the miserable blonde, Carla following right behind her as always like an overprotective sister. She frowned when Lucy raised her head from the table, tiredly smiling despite her runny, red nose and the dark circles under her eyes.

Lucy answered her with a loud groan. She shook her head, still not replying with words. And then she sighed, propping her head up with one hand and turning to a random direction. “Just tired, Wendy. Thank you.”

Wendy nodded, albeit a little apprehensive. If there was one thing she learned about the wizards of her new guild, was that they were so strong to the point that they were stubborn enough to refuse to rest on a bed and heal. But hopefully they knew that Wendy would always do her best to help them, as they did the same for her countless of times.

Out of sudden curiosity, Wendy inched her head a little to the left to follow Lucy’s gaze. She had to hold back a laugh after seeing what caught her older friend’s attention. It was Natsu, roaring maniacally with his eyes widening in mischief as puffs of flame burst from his mouth, and by his side was Lisanna, desperately trying to calm him down so as not to embarass himself any further. Knowing Salamander, Wendy wasn’t surprised when it all ended with the two childhood friends playfully wrestling with each other.

So much happiness, Wendy noted. She basked in the loud cheers coming from Macao and Wakaba, the eccentric yet quite endearing dance routines performed by Vijeeter, the odd way Evergreen showed her affection through insulting Lisanna’s split ends, and Laki literally making a thousand wood figurines of Lisanna (although some of them were a little bit on the gruesome and horrific side, everyone knew Laki meant no harm). But there was just so much smiling, so much laughing, and so much love coming from everyone that it made Wendy’s heart flutter. How could Wendy feel anything else except happiness?

And then she turned to Lucy.

Wendy could’ve sworn that she had a heart attack then and there. The difference between the others and her was clear-cut. While they were having the time of their lives, Lucy was downright sad. Wendy noticed that Lucy's gaze was still sharply trained on Natsu and Lisanna. She cut back the urge to gasp once she saw the tears tainting Lucy’s deeply coffee–colored eyes, the frown dampening the Celestial Maiden’s angelic features, and to top it all of, Wendy could hear the way Lucy’s heart pounded heavily like a drum.

Was she jealous?

Wendy knew that Lucy wasn’t one to be done like that, but there wasn’t any reason that she was so crestfallen on a special night like this one.

Everyone knew of the dynamic between Natsu and Lucy. Their kind of partnership was sort of rare. They complimented each other in ways that surprised everyone else around them at times. Where the other lacked, the other made up for it. Natsu, as heroic as he was, had a tendency to be hot-headed and impulsive. Lucy, who sometimes doubted her abilities in battle, was able to keep calm and make definitive strategies through the support of her friends. And when it came down to it, the Fire Dragon Slayer and the Celestial Princess together were a force to be reckoned with.

And according to Mirajane, their chemistry was undeniable. Although Gray had mentioned that it was unbearable. Nonetheless, Wendy still didn’t understand why Lucy became upset with all this.

Unless she liked Natsu.

All of a sudden everything made sense. Wendy whipped her head towards Lucy once more. “Erm, Lucy-san,” She said softly before pausing for a second once she realized that she didn’t know how to approach the topic at all. She was hopeless! So she opted for a topic she knew best. “Are you feeling okay? Truly? Do you need me to heal you?”

Lucy tore her gaze from her teammates, dark and earthy eyes turning to Wendy solemnly with a sigh. She fell back against the stone wall, dramatically shielding her eyes from the world. “To be honest, I don’t feel so good, Wendy. Can you keep a secret?”

Wendy leaned towards her friend within a split-second. She prepared herself for the different replies to the supposed lovesick girl, hoping that her inexperience with dating wouldn’t hinder her from giving advice to Lucy. On another hand, the healer in her sprung ready to help with whatever injuries bothered Lucy. She straightened her back and stared at her dear friend with a serious expression that meant business. “Okay. I’m ready.”

She expected Lucy to confess her admiration and love for Fairy Tail’s resident pinkhaired dragon slayer and wail about her jealousy towards Natsu and his long lost childhood friend. Wendy also imagined that Lucy’s tears would flood the guild, just like Juvia did multiple times before.

What Wendy wasn’t expecting to see was Lucy flopping her entire upper body on the table whilst moaning and groaning about how painful her body her was. Comical river of tears streamed down Lucy’s cheeks as she sobbed hysterically, incoherently babbling about missing the feeling of being able to feel her body.

“It hurts, Wendy!” Lucy pouted, her voice grew higher in pitch similarly to a little girl. “The fight back in Edolas must have drained my energy more than I thought.”

Happy snickered beside her, eyes narrowing in mischief. “You didn’t really do anything, Lucy,” He mumbled slyly before sucking on the fish in his paws.

Lucy shot him a glare. “If my limbs didn’t feel like they were falling out, I’d kick you all the way back there. Maybe I’d even leave you to Edo–Lucy for a while, I think she’d appreciate the new victim for her crazy attacks. What do you think, Happy?”

The Exceed who had the most vibrant of blue fur, now was left with a ghastly pale color upon hearing the harsh words. He quickly got up, his tears hitting the floor softly, and flew over to the one friend he knew would be reliable on a time like this. “Natsu!” He cried out, pointing the blonde one in their little trio. “Lucy’s being so mean to me again!”

Natsu promptly let go of his rough hold on Lisanna. A huge grin tugged at his lips, showing off his dragon-esque canines, when he heard a familiar name. He turned to Lucy’s direction, pitch black eyes that dangerously shimmered in spite of all the mischievous fun he was planning to do.

“Oh?” Natsu clocked his head to the side. He innocently put his hands behind his back, already making his way nearer and nearer to his voluptuous friend. “Guess I gotta do something to defend Happy’s honor.”

“Aye!”

Lucy, who seemed to understand what she got herself into, started to back away with wide eyes. “Hey, now! Stay away! I don’t like that look in your eyes! Natsu! I’m warning you!”

Salamander paid no heed to her threats. Instead, Natsu broke into a sprint and made a beeline towards his friend. When he reached her, he entrapped Lucy within his arms, towering over her with an arrogant smile. “You’ve got nowhere to go now, Lucy!” He deviously laughed in her face.

“Kyaaaa! Stop it! Please!” Lucy’s pleas to stop him from mercilessly tickling her stomach became lost within her garbled laughter. Worst of all, that only egged Natsu on to dig his fingers deeper and continue with his torture. It seemed she forgot all about her injuries as the smile on her face grew wider and wider.

“Wendy.”

The small blue haired girl jumped out from her reverie. Clearly, her work was done since Lucy found the perfect medicine for her lack of energy. Wendy raised her head to see Erza smiling warmly down at her as she laid a hand on Wendy’s shoulder.

“Do you want me to come and properly you to Lisanna?” Erza kindly offered. “She has a knack for all things adorable.”

Wendy immediately nodded. She’d been waiting for the perfect timing to befriend the white haired girl, but her shyness took over and soon her wish was pushed to the back of her mind. Thankfully, Erza was always there for her to break her out of her shell. Wendy gladly accepted Erza’s outstretched hand, not a second later being hauled all the way to the other side of the guild hall.

“Oh my gosh! So adorable!”

All nervousness was washed away when Wendy met Lisanna’s friendly gaze, the youngest Strauss had the same trademark blue eyes that seemed to hold warmth and kindness similarly to her older sister, Mirajane. Lisanna was quick to engulf Wendy in a hug, squeezing her to the point where Wendy felt the air leave her body.

“The Wendy here in Earthland is equally as cute! I’m glad I got to meet you properly.” Lisanna squealed excitedly as she began to inspect the little bluenette in front of her. “I heard from Lucy that you’re the kindest person that ever walked Earthland, by the way,” She added with a wink.

Heat rushed to Wendy’s cheeks. Her initial response was to avert her gaze and divert her attention to the floor. She still was kind of awkward when it came to overblown compliments like that. “Erm, thank you, Lisanna-san.”

Erza chuckled from her spot. “I take it that you and Lucy have already been acquainted,” She said, gesturing to her blonde comrade that was now whacking Natsu on the head with newspaper that Happy generously supplied. It was kind of amusing to see the Exceed switch sides at times.

Lisanna nodded eagerly. “She’s so different from Edo-Lucy. We have a little lunch date tomorrow. She said she’d show me to all of the nice places to shop. I honestly can’t wait.”

Suddenly, the shade of Erza’s face gradually darkened until it matched the shade of her brilliant red hair. “Don’t tell me that you’ll–you’ll go shopping for underwear with her. . .”

“Of course, I will, silly!” Lisanna beamed. “What’s wrong with that?”

Erza coughed. “She has quite a peculiar taste for clothes.”

Lisanna sighed. “That’s alright. I’m just worried Natsu will break her before the day ends.” She kept her attention on the pair. “They’re quite close, aren’t they?”

Wendy’s heart skipped a beat. What if Lisanna was the jealous one? What were they to do then? What if it would become an all out war between the guild members as they were forced to take sides. Wendy paled, she could never live with herself if she fought against her friends and fellow wizards. She couldn’t even begin to fathom that the end of Fairy Tail would be caused by two women fighting over Natsu.

“They’re so cute together!” Lisanna gushed, already muttering bizzare things about pink-haired babies with brown eyes.

Wendy stiffened, albeit relieved.

Maybe it was quite childish of her to think that two amazing wizards would let something like that get in the way of their newly-formed friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not gonna lie, I am slightly proud of myself for writing this. Anyways, just wanted to tell you that I would never, ever hate on Lisanna. she’s adorable! I mean, she can transform into a fish and penguin, how can that not be alluring? And don’t even let me get started with Lucy, that girl has a heart of gold! What I’m trying to say, is that hating on these fictional characters are pointless. It’s completely useless to waste your energy on something so negative. Just enjoy the show, and love the characters for all of their flawed glory.


	6. Dear, Mama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a few of team natsu’s members end up reading lucy’s private letters.
> 
> Pairings — Team Natsu Friendship
> 
> Tags — Fluff, Humor, Slight Angst
> 
> Setting — After Tenroujima Island Arc (Major spoiler ahead)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who supported this fic through all the kudos and stuff. I really do appreciate it! You all are super amazing! Comments are really appreciated too, by the way. Constructive criticism is definitely welcomed for me to grow as a writer. Plus, I really wanna know your opinions on the chapters! Thank you!

“Let Team Natsu’s Seventh Sleepover begin!”

Lucy Heartfilia watched as her apartment slowly became a warzone. Gray and Natsu took their places on each side of the room, an abundance of pillows by their side, war paint covering their noses and cheeks, all in all they looked like they were preparing for war, which in this case was their celebratory pillow fight. She sighed deeply, her teammates always did take things up a notch, but she loved them all the same. However sometimes, she just wished that they learned how to be subtle once in a while.

“Lucy, come on,” Erza muttered beside her, gazing sternly at the battlefield in front of them. “We need to take out the enemy first. I have many strategies that will ensure our victory. I recommend we go with a stealth attack, it always works.”

The Celestial Maiden had all the colors of her body drained, a single bead of sweat trailing down her forehead. “Eh, do I really have to?” Despite the sheer amount of times they convinced her that the pillow fights were harmless, she wasn’t going to join them, the amount of concussions she had was enough to stop her.

But then again, saying no to the one and only Titania Erza meant punishment worse than death.

“Ho?” Erza stood in front of Lucy, prominent terror oozing out of her body. “You mean to say that you will not aid me in my quest to defeat Natsu and Gray?”

Lucy managed a panicked squeal before nodding eagerly. “Yes, ma’am! I mean, I’ll help you. I’m just going to pray that I won’t get brain damage.”

Erza hastily requipped into her pajamas before letting out a war cry and charging into what was once known as Lucy’s room. Lucy did the same, although she stepped into the fray with a little more subtlety and hesitance. But unfortunately, things didn’t go her way because the moment she took one step, two pillows slammed into her face, effectively bringing her down on the floor without any remorse.

“So much for no brain damage,” Lucy mumbled sadly, watching her ceiling disappear into a blank hole of darkness.

Erza quickly ran to her fallen comrade, sensing that something wasn’t right when the blonde didn’t get up like she usually did and started yelling at everyone. After shaking her a few times without any change in their current situation, Erza finally deduced that Lucy fell unconscious. She turned to the two boys with a snarl, “You killed Lucy!”

Natsu immediately rushed over to the slumbering partner of his. And just like the red-headed wizard, he too shook Lucy violently by the shoulders. “Luce, wake up!”

Happy cautiously hovered over the group. “Aye. And she was so young, too.” And then the Exceed slowly turned to Gray with the darkest of expressions. “You killed Lucy.”

“I did not! I didn’t kill Lucy!” Gray spluttered, his chest now fully bare for the world to see. He crossed his arms and turned away. “It’s her fault for not being able to take the heat,” He mumbled.

“Eh?” Happy came to perch on the comforts of Lucy’s bed, innocently sucking on his fish. “But she takes Natsu’s heat so well.”

In the next moment, Natsu could be found trapped within a flurry of swords without any escape whilst Erza lectured him about protecting a fair maiden’s virtue (despite him reasoning that Lucy was by no means innocent since she kept bragging about her sex appeal so much, which Natsu thought was highly nonexistent since it never worked) and Gray kept snickering in the corner, occasionally making a comment about how pathetic the Salamander was.

As for Happy, he was content stealing fish out of Lucy’s fridge. It was a good night for him.

**[ AND SO! ]**

“Lucy, we’re so hungry!”

“For once, I have to agree with Mint Breath. Luce, make us breakfast already!”

“Aye! Lucy is starving us!”

“You three! Shut it! Be patient! It’s bad enough that you killed Lucy, rushing her is making things worse!”

Gray slammed his hand down on the table, leaving a small dent from the rough action. “Lucy is right there!” He pointed to the girl who was currently trying to kill them with her death glares. “Obviously she’s not dead!”

Lucy frowned as she pressed the ice pack harder into her head, still feeling the aftershocks of last night’s attack. “Even if I wanted to make you all breakfast, I can’t.” She then glared at a certain cat with blue fur. “Because somebody ate all of the food in my fridge.”

Happy wrapped his little arms around his body. “I only meant to eat the fish. But then I got really hungry and so I ate everything inside.”

Natsu groaned, letting his head fall onto the table. “This sucks! I want food! Food! Food! Food!”

“Alright, alright!” Lucy growled out before snatching her purse from the counter and heading right outside. “I’m going to get us some food. When I come back, I want my home still standing!” Those were her last words before she completely disappeared with the click of a door closing.

“Not to worry, Lucy! I’ll make sure nothing happens to your apartment! Everything will be fine under my care!” Erza hollered. A proud gleam sprinkled in the ringlets of her brown eyes.

Unfortunately for the Iron Maiden, the moment she lifted her gaze she was bombarded with the sight of wreckage and chaos.

Her mouth hung agape as she watched Gray and Natsu play catch and throw with Lucy’s lamp, all the while Happy was acting like a referee. And somehow, within a minute time period, they had shards of glass littering the floor as they played without a care in the word. Erza’s eye twitched, irritated that her childhood friends could be so destructive without even noticing it. However her heart skipped a beat at the realization that she failed Lucy in protecting her abode.

“Natsu! Gray!” Erza yelled, her naturally commanding tone caught the fire–and–ice duo’s attention. She bit back the laugh when she saw them hugging each other in fear. “Are you actually fighting in Lucy’s apartment?”

“No, si–ma’am!” Gray shrieked, still clinging onto the Fire Dragon Slayer beside him with trembling fingers.

“Aye, sir! We’re the best of friends!” Natsu screeched.

Happy sniggered. His wings were proudly outstretched as he loomed over his friends. “And there goes Natsu and Gray! Victory is mine!”

Natsu quickly whipped his head to his adopted son. “Hey! You can’t win the game! You’re the referee!”

“Yeah, but if I’m the referee, does that mean I make the rules?” Happy questioned.

“Well, yeah!” Natsu huffed with his arms crossed.

“Then I say that I’m allowed to win!” Happy proclaimed with a sly grin on his whiskered face.

The next minute was filled with Natsu trying to catch Happy. They ran around the space, knocking off off everything that got in their way. The ground creaked from Natsu’s erratic steps, not to mention the cracks he left on the wall as he tried to catch Happy’s tail. Pictures fell from their spots on the wall, some of Lucy’s books toppled off from the bookshelves, and pretty soon the entire room was no longer inhabitable.

But the next thing that happened was way worse than _just_ completely destroying Lucy’s apartment.

Gray gawked at the sound of the box hitting the floor. Erza’s eyes widened seeing all the letters that spilled from the compartment. Natsu and Happy, however, just dived right in the pile of envelopes and started to read some of them.

“Dear, mama,” Natsu began, voicing the contents of the letters out loud. “I still can’t believe that we were gone for seven years. Even though I promised to tough it out, it sometimes is a little hard to fill in the gaps—”

“Natsu!” Erza hissed, practically begging for him to stop. “This is an invasion of her privacy! Stop it!”

Natsu set the letter down, an unreadable expression settling within his dark eyes. “But Lucy has been so distant lately—”

“You sure she just wasn’t avoiding you?” Gray muttered. He was in his boxers, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. “I mean, you are pretty annoying.”

“Shut up!” Natsu grimaced. “But seriously, I just wanna know what’s going on with her. Plus, we’ll never tell her. It will be like our secret, ya know?”

Erza shook her head. “I don’t like it.”

“I’ll buy you a ton of strawberry cakes when we get to the guild,” Natsu bargained.

“Deal!”

“ _Yosh_!” Natsu quickly picked up the letter and began to read out loud.

_Dear, Mama_

_It’s the third day since we’ve come back from Tenroujima Island. I’m beginning to realize the changes from those seven years. Everyone looks so different. Did you know that Bisca and Alzack got married and had their first child? Their family is gorgeous. I wish you could Asuka-chan, she’s the cutest little thing—_

They were interrupted when Erza sank into a little bubble of depression. She hugged her knees close to her chest, rocking back and forth, while tears streamed down her face. “I know!” She wailed hopelessly. “I still can’t believe they got married without me present! I introduced Bisca to the guild, damn it!”

_Cana and Gildarts have such an amusing relationship. Although Cana keeps steering clear of him, I never seen her so happy before. I’m glad she finally got the truth out. But still, it is pretty hilarious to see the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail crying just because Cana ignored him._

_And speaking of fathers, I miss my own. It’s not like me to be so resentful and depressed, but I just can’t help but wish that I came home a month earlier. I can’t help but hate myself. I wish I had reached out to him before the S-Class exams. And it’s so unfair that the moment I want to try and fix my relationship with him, the world takes him away from me._

_Mama, I feel alone! My heart is breaking! I cry at night, just thinking about the things that I could have changed._

_What if I hadn’t volunteered to be Cana’s partner? Would that have changed my unfortunate destiny? Or is it so selfish of me?_

_Who am I kidding._

_I can’t believe I forgot. My family is right here with me. It’s Fairy Tail. My spirits are also with me every step of the way._

_I have Gray, who despite his weird stripping habit, is like a big brother to me. When I recall all that he’s been through, when I remember his strength, I feel like I can get through this pain too—_

Gray sniffled. A few tears slipped past his cold, pale cheeks. “I’m not crying,” He croaked pathetically.

“You’re a sappy stripper,” Natsu said, voice cracking at the ends of his words. He quickly wiped away the water from his eyes before anyone noticed.

_Mama, I have Erza. My friend who I have come to see as a sister. A sister who I know that will never let me get hurt. She’s passionate like that. Oh, I love her so much! I admire her determination whenever we go on missions. I have no doubts that she will be fine despite the seven year gap. I remember her telling me once that she gets her perseverance from us, her friends. And I hope to be like her someday, strong and brave—_

Everyone turned to Erza who seemed to be busy wiping the waterfall of tears that flowed down her cheeks with Lucy’s satin pillows. “Such lovely words!” She wailed before blowing her nose into the blankets in her arms. “I didn’t know she thought of me like that!”

_And I’ll never forget Happy. That little cat, even though he calls me heavy and weird, never fails to make me smile. I just can’t seem to be sad whenever I’m around him. I’m so thankful to be blessed with such good friends. Don’t tell him, but Happy is like a beacon of light in my life—_

“ _Lushi_!” The aforementioned Exceed was sobbing his adorable little heart out. Like Gray and Erza, he had a river of tears pouring from his eyes.

_Of course, there’s Natsu Dragneel. The one who saves me when I get kidnapped. The one who makes me happy. The one who hates it when I cry. Mama, he protects me so many times that I can no longer count. I hope I can do the same for him in the future. There’s something about him that makes me feel safe, warm, and so incredibly loved. It’s always more fun when he and I are together._

_I know that I’ll face more heartbreak in the future, but I also know that Natsu will be there for me when I fall._

_And I know that you and Papa will be watching over me from the stars. Right?_

_Love,_

_Lucy_

Natsu was silent as he put the letter back in it’s proper place. He said nothing while he gathered all of the letters and put them in the box. And then he crumbled to the floor, his head in his arms whilst a few, barely audible, hiccups escaped his mouth. Once he raised his head, the others gasped at how bloodshot his eyes were.

“That weirdo!” He gritted out, tears shimmering in his jet black eyes. “Stupid! Weird! Why did she write stuff like this?! She’s out of her mind, I tell you!”

Happy smirked, wiping a few tears that stained his fur. “Heh. Natsu can’t handle compliments from the girl he _liiiiikes_.”

“Shu—”

“Everyone, I’m back!”

Lucy Heartfilia felt her heart completely stop when she saw the state of her apartment. But nothing prepared her for the sight of her friends sitting on the floor, cheeks tainted with overflowing tears. She didn’t get the chance to ask why everyone became so sullen within the time she was gone since four bodies slammed into her, trapping her in the most suffocating of bear hugs.

“Welcome home!” Four voices exclaimed in unison.

“ _Oomph_!” Lucy groaned in pain when everyone squeezed tighter. “Not that I’m enjoying the sudden affection, but what is happening?”

“ _Lushii_!” Happy cried out. “Even though you’re so weird, you make me smile too!”

Lucy chuckled nervously. “Thanks, Happy.”

“I think of you as my sister too, Lucy,” Erza said sternly as she nuzzled Lucy’s cheeks. “Lets go have strawberry cake this afternoon at the bakery! My treat!”

The blonde smiled, a tear escaping her brown eye. She figured everything out the moment she saw that her box of letters was in the wrong place. But she wouldn’t get angry at them this time. “I’d appreciate that, Erza.”

“You know,” Gray began, stepping out of the little circle he and his team made. His cheeks suddenly turned aflame, pink with embarassment. “You shouldn’t doubt yourself. You’re pretty strong too.”

Lucy nodded. “Thank you.”

Despite everyone letting go of Lucy, Natsu was the only one who didn’t release her from his extremely tight hold. “No more secrets, okay, Lucy?” He took a step backwards to point at her. “You tell me the second you’re feeling sad!”

Lucy laughed lightheartedly, feeling butterflies whirling up a hurricane in her stomach. “I promise, I will. Thank you.”

Natsu’s face suddenly matched the shade of his salmon pink hair. He averted his gaze as he scratched the back of his neck. “I agree with you. . . It is kinda fun when we’re together.”

A smile tugged at the edge of Lucy’s lips, she felt like she was on top of the world.

“Alright!” She clapped her heads, skipping all the way to her kitchen. “Come on, I’m hungry. Lets have some blueberry pancakes!”

“Aye, sir!”


	7. Tête-à-tête

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gray and Lucy have some interesting things to say about the different guilds and their members.
> 
> Pairings — Gray/Lucy friendship
> 
> Tags — Humor, Family/Friendship
> 
> Setting — Grand Magic Games (the ball).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Gray and Lucy’s friendship is underrated. I mean, there is a ton of proof that they’ll be bffs forever. Also, I apologize in advance, I don’t know how to gossip properly.

During the Grand Magic Games, there initially was a sense of hostility in the atmosphere. The people of Crocus were a little apprehensive about the return of Fairy Tail’s Tenrou group, thus ending in the crowd completely disliking the former strongest guild. The stunts Raven Tail pulled didn’t help either. All in all, it seemed everyone hated Fairy Tail.

And then they won (ha, take that suckers!) and showed to the world what the powers of comradery and friendship entailed.

When the battle with the seven dragons began, all the guilds came together. Everyone fought together against the enemy, bled together, and eventually prevailed together. Though it was a long and complicated war, the bonds between all of the wizards prevailed, showing that if the people of the world would come together as one, there was nothing that could not be achieved in the future.

The ball held by the king of Fiore was a great way to relieve some of the stress from fighting on hours end. The women dressed up in beautiful, extravagant gowns as the men wore their fanciest suits. Everyone found their partner from different guilds and made their way to the dance floor, some mages bonded over the deliciousness of the buffet, and a few wizards who still had energy to spare had their own little brawl.

In the deepest corner of the ballroom, a duo could be found. A woman with golden blonde hair and a man with jet black hair. They were giggling and whispering amongst themselves. And the pair was commonly known as Lucy Heartfilia, the Celestial Maiden, and Gray Fullbuster, the Ice-Make wizard who stripped twenty-four hours a day, and seven days a week.

“You know what?” Lucy chortled. She was barely able to take a bite from her cake since she kept snorting and laughing. Despite her lovely dress and hairdo, she had no intention of acting like a lady tonight it seemed. “I still can’t believe that Ichiya found Nichiya.”

Gray grunted, a grin curling his lips in amusement. “You should have seen Erza. She downright fainted!” He prayed that the red-headed knight was nowhere near them at the moment.

Lucy giggled. She pictured the scene in her head with perfect clarity. “When we were fighting Erigor, she didn’t even flinch! The Pandemonium didn’t even seem like a problem for her. Even when we fought Acnologia on the island, she didn’t waver.”

“Erza’s weakness is an old man who has an obsession with perfumes!” Gray’s eyes began to water, his stomach ached from his boisterous laughter. His legs felt like jelly that he had to lean on Lucy’s shoulder.

“Speaking of Erza,” Lucy giggled, eyeing her friend who was accompanied by a certain Mermaid with long, violet hair. “She basically adopted Kagura as her sister.”

Gray snorted, finally calming down. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms against his now naked chest. “The only reason I like her is because she kicked Lyon’s ass during the tag-team battle.”

“No way!” Lucy exclaimed, her eyes sparkled at the new information. Albeit, the fire in her earthy ringlets quickly disappeared. She lowered her head. “I still wish I could have seen the tag-team battles,” She whispered sadly.

“Oh, please,” Gray waved her off as he snatched a bite out of the cake on her plate. “The only thing that was worth watching was Natsu fighting for your honor.” He turned to the blonde, who suddenly had reddened cheeks, and smirked. “He _liiiikes_ you.”

“He does–he does not!” Lucy spluttered. She pointed to a Water Wizard with blue hair that was currently conversing with Lyon. “You better make your move on Juvia otherwise Lyon will totally steal her and have thirty-three babies with her!”

Gray shrugged, although there was a smug smile on his face. “There’s no way of that happening. We already showed him up during the final day. Juvia and I totally kicked his ass!”

Lucy snickered, poking the noirette’s bare chest in retaliation. “Of course you did. You _liiike_ her!”

Gray turned away, a thin coat of pink covering his pale face. “Shu–shut up!”

“I heard the First Master helped you guys with a strategy,” Lucy interjected, her head clocked to the side, ready for another spillage of juicy information.

“Obviously it worked,” Gray cheerfully replied. “No, but seriously, she helped us with the minor battles which was good for our points. For all the major fights, we were kind of our own so in a way it didn’t feel like cheating.”

Lucy nodded. “How did the fight go with Erza and Minerva?” She shuddered a bit at the memory of the merciless kicks and punches.

“Erza showed off her new armor,” Gray said, shivering when he recalled the monstrous look on his childhood friend’s face. “Oh, and she fought for ya as always.”

Lucy sighed sadly, her bright aura suddenly dampening. “I wish I wasn’t so weak all the time. Then you wouldn’t go through these problems.”

Gray frowned. He reached out to ruffle her hair, promptly ignoring the way she shrieked so loudly. “You’re on Fairy Tail’s strongest team for a reason, you know. You’re like our glue and rock that keeps us all sane and stuff. It’s just bad luck that you keep running into trouble.”

Lucy sniffled, drowning all her sorrows in the creamy cake. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious!” Gray proclaimed, growing angry that the blonde could ever doubt herself. “If Raven Tail hadn’t cheated, you would have won the crowd over. I mean, you’re Lucy Heartfilia for Christ’s sake!”

“Thanks, Gray,” Lucy smiled. She felt a whole lot better. She was lucky to have a great friends like him. “Hey, tell me about your fight with Rufus and don’t you dare leave a thing out!”

Immediately, Gray brightened like a snowflake. “I won, duh! Man, the guy was a tough one to beat. He could use spells just by memory. At first, it definitely sucked.”

“How did you beat him?” Lucy inquired. She definitely respected him when it came to power and strength, the guy just found ways to surprise everyone everytime he fought. Just like a certain pink-haired Dragon Slayer.

“A magician never tells his secret!” He said with an arrogant grin. “Oh, by the way, what happened to you and Natsu in the castle?”

“It was awful!” Lucy wailed, the brunt of all her injuries came back to the surface. “We ran into these wizards who were like a secret organization or something. Lily was up against a guy who fought with acid. There was a guy who kept calling Natsu a sinner—”

“Which he is, I bet,” Gray commented dryly.

“And then this guy with a weird speech tick, you’ll be proud to hear that Loke kicked his ass.” Lucy felt a surge of pride for all her spirits during the fight with the odd adversary, and she could bet that Yukino felt the exact same way.

“As expected of my partner,” Gray nodded.

“There was this girl with Plant Magic who use something sour against Wendy.” Lucy stifled back a giggle when she remembered the tears of agony of the little bluenette when she told her story.

“Poor Wendy.” Gray mentally kicked himself for doing the same thing to the Sky Maiden not so long ago.

“And then another wizard who had weird Paper Magic, I think Mirajane was the one who beat her,” Lucy continued.

A shiver slithered up Gray’s spine when he tried to image Mirajane in her Demon Soul. “She doesn’t always engage in battle, but when she does, it’s scary as hell.”

“I’ll say,” Lucy agreed. She never wanted to cross paths with an angry Mirajane. “A lot of things has happened to us, huh? This was such a crazy time.”

Gray took a glass of champagne from one of the waiters. The sparkly drink instantly reminded him of a particular brunette. “Yeah. Like the fact that Cana finally met her match.”

Suddenly, throbbing hearts appeared within Lucy’s dark eyes. “Don’t they make the cutest couple? I can’t wait until Gildarts finds out that Bacchus stole Cana’s bra on the first night of the games.”

Gray flicked Lucy’s forehead lightly. “Wow, you are such a girl.”

Lucy grimaced. “But I’m still mad at him for being such a pervert towards Mira-san and Lisanna. It’s a good thing that Elfman won that battle part. I didn’t doubt him for a second.”

Gray downed the rest of the contents of his drink within seconds. “My favorite battle was between Wendy and Chelia. It was kind of unexpected to see those tiny girls have big power.”

Lucy couldn’t agree more. She had to refrain herself from melting then and there just at the thought of the most adorable Dragon Slayer. “Wendy has grown a lot since first arriving to the guild, hasn’t she?”

A serene smile appeared on Gray’s face, making him the most angelic he’s ever been. “I think we all changed.”

“Say, Gray,” Lucy began slowly, twiddling with her fingers apprehensively. “Will our friendship change too? Like, will we ever have moments like this again?”

Gray didn’t even have to think about the answer. He knew that even though a number of years would pass by, he would always have a strong friendship with Lucy, the blonde who always complained on missions and saved their destructive asses.

“You know what, Lucy,” Gray drawled out. He took in the sight of all his comrades mingling and smiling. Despite all of the hardships that he and his guild went through, all of the tears and blood shed, he knew one thing was for certain.

“I think we’ll be just fine.”


End file.
